lottery

American  

[lot-uh-ree] / ˈlɒt ə ri /

noun

plural

lotteries

1. 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.

2. any scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance.

3. any happening or process that is or appears to be determined by chance.

   to look upon life as a lottery.

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lottery British  

/ ˈlɒtərɪ /

noun

1. a method of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving a proportion of the money raised to holders of numbers drawn at random

2. 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

3. an activity or endeavour the success of which is regarded as a matter of fate or luck

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Other Word Forms

• antilottery adjective

Etymology

Origin of lottery

First recorded in 1560–70, lottery is from the Middle Dutch word loterie (whence also French loterie ). See lot, -ery

Example Sentences

Demand for visas has exceeded supply every year for the past two decades, which is why H-1Bs are allocated by lottery.

From The Wall Street Journal

Zion National Park in Utah will still operate a lottery system for its Angels Landing hike.

From The Wall Street Journal

A flagship government policy offering 30 hours of free childcare from the age of nine months leaves families facing a "birthday lottery", parents say.

From BBC

And the best sprinters in the world come from the Caribbean — so many, in fact, that trying to make a national team for the Summer Olympics can seem like trying to win the lottery.

From Los Angeles Times

Every March, the government conducts a lottery that decides who will receive the coveted 85,000 new visas available for the coming year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• gambling
• raffle
• sweepstake