verb phrase · academic
hold a referendum
UK/həʊld ə ˌrefəˈrɛndəm/US/hoʊld ə ˌrefəˈrɛndəm/hold a ref·er·EN·dum
to organise a public vote so that citizens decide on an important political question
Examples
“The government decided to hold a referendum on the constitution.”
“Many countries hold a referendum when there is a major constitutional change.”
“Opposition parties demanded the right to hold a referendum on the treaty.”
Band 8 sentence
“Faced with mounting public pressure, the government decided to hold a referendum on constitutional reform.”
Collocations
- call a referendum
- hold a national referendum
- a binding referendum
Word family
Common mistakes
hold referendum→hold a referendum
do a referendum→hold a referendum
Say it for a higher band
5have a vote→6hold a vote→7+hold a referendum
Synonyms
call a referendum
Easily confused
call a referendum
“The prime minister called a referendum on the new constitution.”
Related words
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In Society & Government
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