held a referendum

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "held a referendum" is correct and usable in written English.
It is often used to refer to a vote taken by a large group of people on an issue or decision. For example: The city council held a referendum to determine the public's opinion on proposed school funding cuts.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

They've just held a referendum.

The Guardian

They've just held a referendum.

The Guardian

Only Ireland held a referendum on this treaty.

The Economist

In March 1992, Tatarstan held a referendum on sovereignty.

The Economist

In 1995, he held a referendum on his presidency.

The New York Times

Seoul held a referendum on Wednesday, but low voter turnout invalidated it.

The New York Times

But the next Labour government quickly held a referendum on membership in 1975.

The Economist

In 1960, the Government held a referendum which led to the establishment of the republic.

Independent

Only two years after joining, the Labour government held a referendum on Britain's membership in the EEC.

Columbia University

We held a referendum in strict compliance with the U.N. charter and the international legislation.

The Washington Post

In June it held a referendum on giving its residents about $2,500 a month.

MIT Technology Review

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When reporting on a referendum, clearly state the issue being voted on and the outcome.

Common error

Avoid using the past perfect tense (had held) unnecessarily. Use the simple past tense ("held a referendum") when referring to a completed referendum in the past.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "held a referendum" functions as a verb phrase followed by a noun phrase, indicating the action of conducting a vote on a specific issue. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

67%

Academia

21%

Encyclopedias

4%

Less common in

Science

4%

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "held a referendum" is a common and grammatically sound way to describe the act of conducting a public vote on a specific issue. As confirmed by Ludwig, it's frequently used in news and media, as well as academic contexts, making it versatile for various types of writing. The phrase primarily functions to report or describe a past voting event. While it maintains a neutral register, the level of formality can shift based on the source. Common synonyms include "conducted a vote" and "organized a plebiscite". When using the phrase, ensure to use the simple past tense and state the subject and outcome clearly. There's also a wealth of reliable examples in Ludwig to guide and improve the usage of "held a referendum".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

organized a plebiscite

Substitutes "referendum" with "plebiscite", another term for a vote on a specific issue.

carried out a popular vote

Emphasizes the public and democratic nature of the vote.

conducted a vote

Replaces "held a referendum" with a more general term for carrying out a vote.

put it to a public vote

Highlights the action of allowing the public to decide.

staged a ballot

Replaces "held a referendum" with "staged a ballot", focusing on the act of voting.

submitted it to the electorate

Focuses on the act of presenting an issue to the voting population.

polled the citizenry

Uses a more formal term, "polled", to describe the act of gathering votes.

took a public sounding

Indicates an attempt to gauge public opinion through a vote.

convened a popular consultation

Replaces referendum with the more formal term "popular consultation."

initiated a voting process

Describes starting the process of having a vote.

FAQs

How to use "held a referendum" in a sentence?

Use "held a referendum" to describe a past event where a vote was conducted on a specific proposal. For example, "The country "held a referendum" on whether to leave the European Union."

What can I say instead of "held a referendum"?

You can use alternatives like "conducted a vote", "organized a plebiscite", or "carried out a popular vote" depending on the specific context.

Is it correct to say "conducted a referendum" instead of "held a referendum"?

Yes, "conducted a referendum" is a grammatically correct and semantically similar alternative to "held a referendum". Both phrases describe the action of carrying out a referendum.

What is the difference between a referendum and a plebiscite?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, a referendum typically concerns a specific proposal or law, whereas a plebiscite is a more general vote on an issue of public opinion. You can use phrases like "organized a plebiscite" to refer to the second scenario.