raffle

[raf-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR raffle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a form of lottery in which a number of persons buy one or more chances to win a prize.

verb (used with object), raf·fled, raf·fling.

to dispose of by a raffle (often followed by off): to raffle off a watch.

verb (used without object), raf·fled, raf·fling.

to take part in a raffle.

Origin of raffle

1350–1400; Middle English rafle dice game < Middle French, derivative of rafler to snatch; cf. raff

Related formsraf·fler, nounun·raf·fled, adjective

raffle

[raf-uh l]

noun

rubbish.

Nautical. a tangle, as of ropes, canvas, etc.

Origin of raffle

First recorded in 1790–1800; raff + -le

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

Related Words for raffle

sweepstake, draw, flier, pool, stake, sweep, lots, disposition, gambling, speculation, wager, drawing, bet, tossup, gaming, numbers

Examples from the Web for raffle

Contemporary Examples of raffle

The winners will be drawn on January 8, which makes the raffle tickets the perfect Christmas gift.
Pope Francis Raffles Off His Swag to Help the Poor
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 18, 2014

Historical Examples of raffle

I dont at all like the idea of vaudeville, and I abhor a raffle!
Ainslee's, Vol. 15, No. 6, July 1905
Various
They are going to raffle Hartrath's picture,—for the benefit of the Gingerbread Fair.
The Octopus
Frank Norris
The drawing of the numbers in the raffle was about to be made.
The Octopus
Frank Norris
And so he is going to part with his mare by raffle,” said the squire; “pray what does he want for her?
Amos Huntingdon
T.P. Wilson
I shan't know what to do with them; unless I raffle them off.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for raffle

raffle

noun

a lottery in which the prizes are goods rather than money
(as modifier)a raffle ticket

verb

(tr often foll by off) to dispose of (goods) in a raffle

Derived Formsraffler, noun

Word Origin for raffle

C14 (a dice game): from Old French, of obscure origin

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

Word Origin and History for raffle

late 14c., "dice game," from Old French rafle "dice game," also "plundering," perhaps from a Germanic source (cf. Middle Dutch raffel "dice game," Old Frisian hreppa "to move," Old Norse hreppa "to reach, get," Swedish rafs "rubbish," Old High German raspon "to scrape together, snatch up in haste," German raffen "to snatch away, sweep off"), from Proto-Germanic *khrap- "to pluck out, snatch off." The notion would be "to sweep up (the stakes), to snatch (the winnings)." Dietz connects the French word with the Germanic root, but OED is against this. Meaning "sale of chances" first recorded 1766.

"dispose of by raffle," 1851, from raffle (n.). Related: Raffled; raffling.