raffle

[ raf-uhl ]

/ ˈræf əl /

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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.

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Question 1 of 6

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Origin of raffle

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

OTHER WORDS FROM raffle

raffler, nounun·raf·fled, adjective

Words nearby raffle

raffia, raffia palm, raffinate, raffinose, raffish, raffle, raffles, rafflesia, Rafinesque, rafraîchissoir, Rafsanjani

Other definitions for raffle (2 of 2)

raffle²

[ raf-uhl ]

/ ˈræf əl /

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. 2022

How to use raffle in a sentence

To give back and support their community—Hushin’s third pillar—the team holds a raffle each year and then uses the money to support a cause they believe in.
Meet the YouTubers Who Are Rebranding Hunting|kklein|August 25, 2021|Outside Online
Maryland is offering state employees $100, while Lancaster, California, is trying to encourage teens to get inoculated by entering their names in a raffle for college scholarships worth up to $10,000.
The incredible incentives being offered to Americans to get vaccinated|Isabelle Brocas|May 25, 2021|Quartz
People who get vaccinated can enter their names in a raffle, with the victor getting to choose from a range of rides that includes a Chevrolet Camaro and a Nissan Altima.
Beer, bouquets and free rounds at a gun range: How local governments promote vaccines|Reis Thebault, Paulina Firozi|May 6, 2021|Washington Post
Inspiration 4’s other two travelers will be selected through a raffle and an entrepreneurial contest.
This is how (almost) anyone can train to be an astronaut|Neel Patel|March 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review

People who signed up for the raffle had to attest to being less than six and a half feet tall and under 250 pounds.
This is how (almost) anyone can train to be an astronaut|Neel Patel|March 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
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|DAILY BEAST
Engineers now field questions on Reddit and laboratories raffle off multiday tours to Twitter followers.
NASA’s ‘Curiosity’: To Twitter and Beyond|Josh Dzieza|August 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And when I took a ticket for a raffle, I hardly counted upon winning this particularly gaudy sofa-cushion.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93, September 24, 1887|Various
When I came to the library, the master of the raffle told me it was against all rule to refund a subscription.'
Camilla|Fanny Burney
Ultimately Christian laid down his shilling, the raffle began, and the dice went round.
Return of the Native|Thomas Hardy
These are the class of gambling practices of which the church bazaar or raffle may be taken as the type.
The Theory of the Leisure Class|Thorstein Veblen
Raffle, raf′l, n. a kind of sale by chance or lottery in which the price is subscribed equally by all who hope to win.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for raffle

raffle

/ (ˈræfəl) /

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 forms of raffle

raffler, 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

raffle

Origin of raffle

OTHER WORDS FROM raffle

Words nearby raffle

Other definitions for raffle (2 of 2)

Origin of raffle

Words related to raffle

How to use raffle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for raffle

Derived forms of raffle

Word Origin for raffle