lotto

[ lot-oh ]

/ ˈlɒt oʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lotto ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

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.

Nearby words

lots, lotta, lotte, lottery, lottie, lotto, lotus, lotus of the good law, lotus position, lotus-eater, lotus-eaters

Origin of lotto

1770–80; < Italian < Germanic; see lot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lotto

Lotto is propped up by the notion that “Hey, you never know” though of course you do know—you know that you will not win.
A Doctor Explains Why Cruise Ships Should Be Banned|Kent Sepkowitz|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The one-in-a-million chance is exactly that—a small but real chance, as any lotto winner will tell you.
All These AIDS ‘Cures’ Are a Fantasy—One That Can Cause Real Harm|Kent Sepkowitz|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Applying for a permit is kind of like playing the Lotto, but with worse odds.
First Friday of Ramadan For Palestinians|Maysoon Zayid|July 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whenever I say, ‘Oh, can I have my lotto number, the newspaper?’
Meet Mariann From Brooklyn, Howard Stern’s Biggest Fan|Kevin Fallon|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In the end he begins to attitudinise and to display those artificial graces which were presently accentuated by Lotto.
The Venetian School of Painting|Evelyn March Phillipps
His colours show a brilliancy and depth acquired by studying Titian; and then, again, his bright tints remind us of Lotto.
The Venetian School of Painting|Evelyn March Phillipps
The wooden balls, like those of the Lotto, appear to have been hollow, and to have contained the ticket or written order.
A History of Inventions, Discoveries, and Origins, Volume II (of 2)|Johann Beckman
One is called the Italian or Genoese lotto, or merely the lotto; the other is the common lottery well known in England.
A History of Inventions, Discoveries, and Origins, Volume II (of 2)|Johann Beckman
Why, I am anything but a spring chicken, yet Lotto was an old game when I was young.
Camping|Alexandra G. Lockwine

British Dictionary definitions for lotto

lotto

/ (ˈlɒtəʊ) /

noun

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, etcCompare bingo

a lottery

Word Origin for lotto

C18: from Italian, from Old French lot, from Germanic. See lot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012