hit the jackpot

Idioms  

1. Be highly successful, especially unexpectedly; win, especially a lot of money. For example, She hit the jackpot at the auction; that platter turned out to be genuine Meissen. This term comes from a form of poker in which a hand can be opened only if one holds at least a pair of jacks (or higher). Often a number of hands must be dealt before anyone can open, and since players must put in money for each round, the jackpot, or total amount held, is apt to be quite large. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hit the jackpot

The Times sports section once again hit the jackpot with Bill Plaschke’s column on Eric Sondheimer coupled with Sondheimer’s own column on his 50 top memories of his 50 years of reporting high school sports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

But a few might hit the jackpot, such as computer memory-focused fund DRAM.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Kirat Assi thought she'd hit the jackpot when Bobby, a handsome cardiologist, got in touch with her in 2009.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2024

The Hawks hit the jackpot despite just 3% odds after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference at 36-46.

From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2024

Nesting usually occurred between February and July, but fledglings had been observed in dens as late as October Systematically, Roy scrolled down the search items one by one until he finally hit the jackpot.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen