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

The IIT degree, long India's most coveted credential, is beginning to look less like a golden ticket and more like a lottery.

From BBC

The only win came against the Utah Jazz, another team that’s attempting to position itself for the lottery more than the playoffs.

From Los Angeles Times

But if the government instead taxed the individual receiving inherited wealth, that would mean treating that wealth as income in the same way as lottery winnings or any other type of “found money,” she says.

From Barron's

It could rewrite the rules that divvy up the ping-pong balls for the draft lottery.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Defra spokesperson said it will "end the postcode lottery of bin collection".

From BBC

Related Words

• gambling
• raffle
• sweepstake