vote out
vote out (phrasal verb)
/ˈvoʊt aʊt/
Synopsis
The phrase “vote out” means to remove someone from a position or group through a collective vote. It developed in English-speaking political traditions as voting became a formal way to decide leadership and authority, combining “vote” with “out” to express exclusion.
Meanings
- To remove a person from a position, group, or role by a majority decision through voting.
- To eliminate a participant from a competition, game, or reality show by collective vote.
- To reject or replace a political leader, party, or representative through an election.
- To formally exclude someone or something through an official voting process. (procedural)
Synonyms: oust; remove; expel; unseat; dismiss; eliminate; reject.
Example Sentences
- The board decided to vote out the director after repeated policy violations.
- Viewers chose to vote out the contestant who performed poorly that week.
- Many citizens hoped to vote out the current government in the upcoming election.
- Under the association’s rules, a member can be vote out only through a formal ballot. (procedural)
Etymology and History
Historical Origins of the Concept
The idea embodied in the phrase “vote out” grew directly from the long-standing institution of voting as a method for collective decision-making. The modern English verb “vote” derives from the Latin “votum,” meaning a solemn promise or wish, and passed into English in late Middle English through political and civic usage related to expressing choice or will in communal decisions. Over time, English speakers combined “vote” with particles like “in” and “out” to indicate directionality in the outcome of that choice. The pattern of using particles with verbs to create idiomatic meanings developed as English evolved, with “out” commonly indicating removal, exit, or exclusion when attached to a verb. By combining ‘vote’ with ‘out,’ speakers could concisely express the idea of using a group’s vote to remove someone or something from a position or membership.
Linguistic Development and Usage
In the evolution of English verb constructions, the use of phrasal verbs—verbs combined with particles like “out”—became increasingly common from the Early Modern English period onward. Particles such as “out” began to carry figurative meanings beyond simple physical motion, encompassing abstract outcomes like elimination or cessation. In political and organizational contexts, this extended use naturally applied to voting, resulting in “vote out” meaning to remove someone from a position through the act of voting. Over centuries of English usage, this construction became established, particularly in representative political systems where group decisions regularly determine officeholders and membership.
Geographic and Cultural Origins
The phrase “vote out” itself, as a lexical unit, emerged in the context of English-speaking polities where representative democracy and formal voting procedures were practiced. Although it is difficult to isolate its exact point of linguistic origin, evidence suggests that the phrase became widely understood in contexts such as the United Kingdom and later the United States as parliamentary and electoral systems matured. Its use in political discourse would have been reinforced by the growing culture of elections and representative assemblies in these countries from the 17th century onward. As a result, the phrase is most closely associated with English-language political tradition in the UK and later in the U.S., reflecting the historical development of democratic and quasi-democratic institutions there.
Earliest Printed Record of the Phrase
Despite extensive historical documentation of voting and related terms, identifying the earliest printed instance of the specific phrasal form “vote out” in the sense of removing someone from office remains challenging. Contemporary lexicographic records show that the phrase “to turn (a person) out of office; to vote out” was recorded in early English sources under related verbal constructions, indicating that the linkage of the particle “out” to the act of voting was recognized in historical usage. One record notes that “to turn (a person) out of office” and “to vote out” were attested phrase forms, which confirms the historical usage of the phrase with its modern meaning. This suggests that the phrasing reflecting this concept was in circulation by at least the early modern period, embedded in the political and legal language of governance.
Conceptual Evolution and Democratic Practice
As democratic practice spread globally, the phrase “vote out” became a common way to refer to the mechanism by which constituents or members remove incumbents or leaders. In written guidance on democratic procedures, for instance, the concept of recall elections—where an elected official is removed from office by a vote—was described as “voting out of office” or “removing from office,” demonstrating the phrase’s integration into election procedure vocabulary. Such usage illustrates how “vote out” transcended casual speech to become part of formal descriptions of electoral mechanisms.
Variants
- vote someone out
- voted out
- voting out
- get voted out
- be voted out
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