What does polled mean?
“Polled” is the past tense and past participle of “poll.” Its most common meaning is that people were surveyed about their opinions, experiences, or preferences, usually as part of a formal or organized inquiry. For example, a newspaper may report that it polled voters about a proposed law, or a company may say that it polled customers about a new product. In reporting on elections, “polled” can also mean “voted,” as in “a majority of those polled supported the candidate.” The word is usually neutral and factual, though the surrounding context determines whether the polling is presented as representative, influential, or controversial. “Those polled” is a concise way to refer to the people who participated in a survey or vote, and it is common in journalism and research.
To ask people questions, especially as part of a survey or opinion poll; to survey or canvass.
"The company polled customers about their preferred packaging."
Common in journalism, research, marketing, and public-opinion contexts.
To cast a vote in an election or formal ballot.
"Turnout was high, and most polled voters supported the proposal."
This sense is formal and especially common in election and civic reporting.
Before a modern survey became a click, “polled” captured the idea of gathering opinions one person at a time.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does polled come from?
The form “polled” is the ordinary past-tense and past-participle ending attached to “poll.” The word “poll” entered English through Middle English and is historically associated with counting or registering people, particularly for taxation or voting; its sense of surveying public opinion developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The related forms “polling” and “pollster” follow the same verbal and agentive roots.
Related word forms
How polled is actually used
In the phrase “those polled,” the word is commonly used as a noun-forming participle. The sense involving voting is more formal and is especially common in election reporting.
Easily confused with polled
As a verb, “polled” means to survey people or, in an election context, to cast a vote; “polled” can also describe a person who has voted, as in “polled members.”