lottery
Americannoun
-
lotteries
plural
-
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.
-
any scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance.
-
any happening or process that is or appears to be determined by chance.
to look upon life as a lottery.
noun
-
a method of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving a proportion of the money raised to holders of numbers drawn at random
-
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
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 16–April 22, 2022
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
He said it would also help to put an end to "the confusing and unjust postcode lottery caused by different rules in different areas".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The idea that anyone can suddenly be endowed with superhuman specialness simply by being in the right place at the right time is a little like daydreaming about winning the lottery.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
A family almost missed out on a £1m lottery jackpot after unknowingly ignoring calls and emails notifying them that they had won.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The 48-hour purchasing windows were granted through random lottery, but even a guaranteed slot to purchase didn’t prevent headaches as the ticketing system was fraught with technical glitches and high website traffic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
I’m the kind of girl who makes fun of people who buy lottery tickets.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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
LA28 said all lotteries are random to preserve fairness for those who entered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
What to know about dynamic pricing, lotteries and sale dates while trying to score seats.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2025
"It would be like winning four lotteries in a row. You've got to use a bit of common sense and be sensible and logical about it."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 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.
