lotto
Americannoun
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a game of chance in which a leader draws numbered disks at random from a stock and the players cover the corresponding numbers on their cards, the winner being the first to cover a complete row.
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a lottery, as one operated by a state government, in which players choose numbers that are matched against those of the official drawing, the winning numbers typically paying large cash prizes.
noun
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Also called: housey-housey. a children's game in which numbered discs, counters, etc, are drawn at random and called out, while the players cover the corresponding numbers on cards, the winner being the first to cover all the numbers, a particular row, etc Compare bingo
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a lottery
Etymology
Origin of lotto
1770–80; < Italian < Germanic; see lot
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.
Harts stopped into Food N’ Geaux to grab lotto tickets for his mom.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Lucky for Californians, lotto stores in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the state have a strong record of producing wins.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025
Donald Trump flip flops on tariffs, the economics of eggs raise a lot of questions, and there was lotto arbitrage in Texas.
From Slate • Mar. 8, 2025
"Make sure you play my lottery lotto number," he says.
From Salon • Jun. 18, 2023
And when they’re returned home—and Madoc has assured me that they are—they’re paid well and even given gifts, such as good luck or shiny hair or a knack for guessing the right lotto numbers.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
