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Synonyms

raffle

1 American  
[raf-uhl] / ˈræf əl /

noun

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

verb (used with object)

raffled, raffling

  1. to dispose of by a raffle (often followed byoff ).

    to raffle off a watch.

verb (used without object)

raffled, raffling

  1. to take part in a raffle.

raffle 2 American  
[raf-uhl] / ˈræf əl /

noun

  1. rubbish.

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

raffle British  
/ ˈræfəl /

noun

    1. a lottery in which the prizes are goods rather than money

    2. ( as modifier )

      a raffle ticket
"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

verb

  1. to dispose of (goods) in a raffle

"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

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

First recorded in 1790–1800; raff + -le

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.

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 raffle supported Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital, which is seeking £150,000 to refurbish its cancer treatment centre.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 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

Those hard times when Chokecherry Middle School couldn’t sell enough raffle tickets to even pay for the prize might as well be a hundred years ago.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

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.