vote
VOTE meaning: a formal choice or ballot; VOTE scores 7 points in Scrabble and has one anagram, VETO.
Noun 3 meanings
A formalized choice on legally relevant measures such as employment or appointment to office or a proceeding about a legal dispute.
“The city council decided the matter should go to public vote.”
An act or instance of participating in such a choice, e.g., by submitting a ballot.
“The Supreme Court upheld the principle of one person, one vote.”
Any judgment of intellect leading not only to a formal opinion but also to a particular choice in a legally relevant measure, a point of view as published.
“dissenting vote (i.e. in particular the differing opinion published with a judicial judgment considered as a source of information)”
Verb 3 meanings
To cast a vote; to assert a formalized choice in an election.
“Q: Did you vote last month? A: Yes. I voted for John Smith, and it's a shame that he lost; you can't blame me for the mess we're in now.”
To choose or grant (some objective) by means of a vote, or by general consent.
“The directors voted an increase in R&D spending.”
To exercise one's voting right upon (a ballot or a share of stock).
“vote your ballot”
Etymology
From Latin vōtum, a form of voveō (“to vow”) (cognate with Ancient Greek εὔχομαι (eúkhomai, “to vow”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁wegʷʰ- (“to promise, to vow”). Doublet of vow.
VOTE is a familiar four-letter word with a straightforward civic sense: a choice expressed formally, often on a ballot. It also works as a verb meaning to cast that choice. Its single anagram, VETO, changes the meaning sharply, while swapping one letter produces eleven listed neighbours, including NOTE and TOTE.
VOTE at a glance
- VOTE is four letters long and scores 7 Scrabble points.
- V is the costly tile at 4 points; O, T and E each add 1.
- VETO is the only anagram, using the same four letters.
- NOTE and TOTE are among VOTE’s 11 one-letter neighbours.
What does VOTE mean, and how is it scored?
VOTE names a formal choice, especially one made by submitting a ballot; as a verb, it means to cast that choice. The noun also covers taking part in a formal decision, so “cast a vote” and “vote on a measure” share the same core idea.
The word’s frequency count is 33,737, fitting its familiar place in everyday English. Its Scrabble total is 7: V contributes 4 points, while O, T and E contribute 1 each. The V carries more than half the base score, so it is the tile to protect when planning a play.
That score is the sum of the four tile values before any board-square bonuses. VOTE is not a high-value word by itself; its strength is that it uses a costly V alongside three one-point letters.
Which words can you make from VOTE?
VETO is VOTE’s only anagram: rearrange the letters and the result shifts from expressing a choice to rejecting or blocking one. That one-to-one change makes VOTE unusually tidy for an anagram search, with no second rearrangement to compare.
Changing one letter gives 11 listed neighbours. NOTE, TOTE, MOTE and DOTE are easy examples to recognize; VOLE and VITE show how a different middle letter changes the sound. Some neighbours are less familiar, so check your game’s word list before relying on an obscure form.
VOTE also shares its ending sound with 12 listed rhymes, including NOTE, QUOTE, WROTE and PROMOTE. Those examples range from short everyday words to longer forms, but the shared “ote” ending is the clue that ties them together.
Rhymes with vote
All rhymesOne letter away
- NOTE4
- TOTE4
- COTE6
- ROTE4
- VOLE7
- MOTE6
- VITE7
- DOTE5
- HOTE7
- POTE6
- LOTE4
Questions people ask
What does VOTE mean?
How many points is VOTE worth in Scrabble?
What is an anagram of VOTE?
Keep going
Related lists
Looking for a different word?
Type the letters you have and the Finder shows every word that fits.