lottery
Americannoun
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a gambling game or method of raising money, as for some public charitable purpose, in which a large number of tickets are sold and a drawing is held for certain prizes.
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any scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance.
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any happening or process that is or appears to be determined by chance.
to look upon life as a lottery.
noun
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a method of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving a proportion of the money raised to holders of numbers drawn at random
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a similar method of raising money in which players select a small group of numbers out of a larger group printed on a ticket. If a player's selection matches some or all of the numbers drawn at random the player wins a proportion of the prize fund
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an activity or endeavour the success of which is regarded as a matter of fate or luck
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of lottery
First recorded in 1560–70, lottery is from the Middle Dutch word loterie (whence also French loterie ). See lot, -ery
Explanation
A lottery is a contest where players buy tickets and have a random (and low) chance of winning. Finding true love and getting hit by lightning are often said to be as likely as winning the lottery. A lottery can be a state-run contest promising big bucks to the lucky winners, or a lottery can also be any contest where the winners are selected at random. For example, some schools choose students by using a lottery system. Regardless of the type of lottery, a lottery works where there is great demand for something and only a limited number of winners.
Vocabulary lists containing lottery
Workshop 3, Part 1
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 1
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 16–April 22, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But structure for a teenager who might otherwise drift and cash for a family with none to spare are exactly the two things the lottery studies say matter most.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
For the 5,500 local fans with tickets to attend -- the lucky ones among a lottery entered by 33,000 -- optimism for the tournament about to kick off in their backyard was even brighter.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Previously, it had cost $215 to enter an applicant into the lottery for an H-1B visa and more than $5,000 in fees to file a visa application—without factoring in lawyers’ fees.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
The water supply worker had given the police officer CPR when he collapsed on a bus in April 2020, and netted the huge lottery prize shortly after.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
It’s applied indiscriminately to professional athletes, lottery winners, and kids who clean up at spelling bees.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
