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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
The Cheshire couple's lives changed dramatically in 2016 when Kevin, then a bus driver, discovered he had matched all six Lotto numbers.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
When the exchanges turn stocks into daily Lotto games, those bets will be profitably absorbed by sophisticated dealers, especially Citadel, Susquehanna, and Wolverine.
From Barron's • Dec. 10, 2025
California state lottery officials said Saturday night that a tobacco shop in Norco sold a $1 Super Lotto Plus ticket that is now worth $25 million.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2025
The operator added that Saturday's £7.4 million Lotto jackpot had also been claimed by a single ticket-holder.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2025
“I think he’s talking about Lotto numbers,” I explain.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
