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]

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hit the jackpot

And it’s beginning to look like the Giants may have hit the jackpot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

The winner was the only person to pick all five numbers that were drawn Saturday night — 7, 10, 11, 21, 32 — plus the Mega Number 5 to hit the jackpot.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2025

He soon hit the jackpot after he found a six-carat diamond, which was worth a fortune 50 years ago.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---