jackpot

[ jak-pot ]

/ ˈdʒækˌpɒt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jackpot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the chief prize or the cumulative stakes in a game or contest, as in bingo, a quiz contest, or a slot machine.

Poker. a pot that accumulates until a player opens the betting with a pair of predetermined denomination, usually jacks or better.

RELATED WORDS

prize, pot, kitty, reward, find, pool

Nearby words

jackknife-fish, jackleg, jacklight, jacklighter, jacklin, jackpot, jackrabbit, jacks, jackscrew, jackshaft, jacksie

Idioms

an outstanding reward or success.

hit the jackpot, Informal.

to achieve a sensational success; have sudden luck: The firm has hit the jackpot with its new line of computers.
to win a jackpot.

Origin of jackpot

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jackpot

In the meantime, he takes trips to Vegas, sometimes sleeping in his car or in movie theaters for weeks, hoping to hit the jackpot.
He Bullies Kids and Calls It News|Brandy Zadrozny|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just a few blocks down on Sixth Avenue in Birmingham, they hit the jackpot.
Is Synthetic Weed Feuling Yemen’s Terrorism?|Abby Haglage|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The jackpot hit when Matthew McConaughey read the script and said, “I want to do this.”
Inside the Obsessive, Strange Mind of True Detective’s Nic Pizzolatto|Andrew Romano|February 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From tour guides to chefs, glass blowers to club owners, they each tout different talents to hit the jackpot.
Ganjapreneurs Flock to Colorado Following Marijuana Legalization|Abby Haglage, Caitlin Dickson|January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

People who play slot machines are excited because they never know when pulling the lever will result in a jackpot.
Porn Boycott: Pastor Jay Dennis Wants You to Join 1 Million Men|Winston Ross|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A faint heart may never win a fair lady, but five of them have won many a jackpot.
The New Pun Book|Thomas A. Brown and Thomas Joseph Carey
Jimmie Greeley was raking in a jackpot, grinning fiendishly at the dour Jim Hutch when they heard heavy, running feet outside.
Down the Mother Lode|Vivia Hemphill
Then Galbini hit the jackpot with his Taleggio that fills the need for the sharpest, most sophisticated pungence of them all.
The Complete Book of Cheese|Robert Carlton Brown
When poker was played, beans were put in the jackpot instead of money.
A Gold Hunter's Experience|Chalkley J. Hambleton
Did the preacher gent die, er did Brother Peyton jump the game, taking the jackpot with him?
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney

British Dictionary definitions for jackpot

jackpot

/ (ˈdʒækˌpɒt) /

noun

any large prize, kitty, or accumulated stake that may be won in gambling, such as a pool in poker that accumulates until the betting is opened with a pair of jacks or higher

hit the jackpot

to win a jackpot
informal to achieve great success, esp through luck

Word Origin for jackpot

C20: probably from jack 1 (playing card) + pot 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with jackpot

jackpot

see hit the jackpot.