lotto
Americannoun
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a game of chance in which a leader draws numbered disks at random from a stock and the players cover the corresponding numbers on their cards, the winner being the first to cover a complete row.
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a lottery, as one operated by a state government, in which players choose numbers that are matched against those of the official drawing, the winning numbers typically paying large cash prizes.
noun
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Also called: housey-housey. a children's game in which numbered discs, counters, etc, are drawn at random and called out, while the players cover the corresponding numbers on cards, the winner being the first to cover all the numbers, a particular row, etc Compare bingo
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a lottery
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lotto
1770–80; < Italian < Germanic; see lot
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:
Harts stopped into Food N’ Geaux to grab lotto tickets for his mom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
A fruit and vegetable delivery driver has retired from his early morning shifts and revealed his ambitions on the racecourse after a "life-changing" lotto win.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
Framed together, they’d be a stunning display for any lotto aficionado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2025
Donald Trump flip flops on tariffs, the economics of eggs raise a lot of questions, and there was lotto arbitrage in Texas.
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2025
Like if she finds a dollar, which means God wants her to buy a lotto ticket.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
They argue the state should not promote gaming, including video lottery, multi-state lottos and scratch tickets.
From Washington Times ● May 8, 2017
Regardless of whether government should encourage people to lose money on lottos and at casinos, states have an interest in protecting their near-monopoly over legally obtained gambling revenue.
From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2015
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.
