raffle
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- raffler noun
- unraffled adjective
Etymology
Origin of raffle1
1350–1400; Middle English rafle dice game < Middle French, derivative of rafler to snatch; raff
Origin of raffle2
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.
Raynor Winn said in a statement online: "In desperation, we briefly tried running a book-based house raffle like others had done, but quickly realised it was a mistake."
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
When the two-hour movie ended, one attendee won the big raffle prize, which included “Waiting to Exhale” on DVD — and a DVD player to play it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026
The firm’s insurance chief of 39 years, Ajit Jain, once crafted a policy insuring Pepsi against having to award a $1 billion raffle prize.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 25, 2025
The authorities in the French capital launched a lottery on Monday, offering 30 monuments for sale in a raffle -- 10 at Pere-Lachaise, 10 at Montparnasse and 10 at Montmartre.
From Barron's • Nov. 6, 2025
Perhaps, he thought, one of the workers had become a father or won something in a raffle.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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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.