lottery
Americannoun
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lotteries
plural
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a gambling game or method of raising money, as for some public charitable purpose, in which a large number of tickets are sold and a drawing is held for certain prizes.
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any scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance.
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any happening or process that is or appears to be determined by chance.
to look upon life as a lottery.
noun
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a method of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving a proportion of the money raised to holders of numbers drawn at random
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a similar method of raising money in which players select a small group of numbers out of a larger group printed on a ticket. If a player's selection matches some or all of the numbers drawn at random the player wins a proportion of the prize fund
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an activity or endeavour the success of which is regarded as a matter of fate or luck
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lottery
First recorded in 1560–70, lottery is from the Middle Dutch word loterie (whence also French loterie ). See lot, -ery
Explanation
A lottery is a contest where players buy tickets and have a random (and low) chance of winning. Finding true love and getting hit by lightning are often said to be as likely as winning the lottery. A lottery can be a state-run contest promising big bucks to the lucky winners, or a lottery can also be any contest where the winners are selected at random. For example, some schools choose students by using a lottery system. Regardless of the type of lottery, a lottery works where there is great demand for something and only a limited number of winners.
Vocabulary lists containing lottery
Workshop 3, Part 1
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 1
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 16–April 22, 2022
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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.
See Examples For:
Rather than continuing to accumulate young talent around their lone lottery picks, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, they decided they were ready to accelerate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
While some teenagers may mark their 18th birthdays by buying a lottery ticket or getting a first tattoo, Deon Radcliff Jr. had different priorities.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
He is accused of sounding "giddily elated" and like a "lottery winner" after the news of her death.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“I wasn’t expecting or looking to win a lottery in terms of compensation, but cruise lines at least offer future cruise credit when their passengers suffer gross inconveniences,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
More than likely a bug like this was what ruined an Arizona lottery in 1998.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
The lotteries take no financial risk offering that annuity since they buy zero-coupon Treasury bonds maturing on those dates, much the way corporate pension funds do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Fans will be automatically rolled over into future lotteries until they’ve reached the maximum 12 general tickets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
What to know about dynamic pricing, lotteries and sale dates while trying to score seats.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025
She said: "Encouragement from a writer of Hilary Mantel's stature is nothing short of transformative. It's like winning a thousand lotteries for debut writers."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
They kiss my cheeks and hold my hand and tell me how they won money in the kingdom's lotteries by betting on me to be named the favorite.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
