ticket
Americannoun
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tickets
plural
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a slip, usually of paper or cardboard, serving as evidence that the holder has paid a fare or admission or is entitled to some service, right, or the like.
a railroad ticket; a theater ticket.
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a summons issued for a traffic or parking violation.
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a written or printed slip of paper, cardboard, etc., affixed to something to indicate its nature, price, or the like; label or tag.
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a slate of candidates nominated by a particular party or faction and running together in an election.
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the license of a ship's officer or of an aviation pilot.
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Banking. a preliminary recording of transactions prior to their entry in more permanent books of account.
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Informal. the proper or advisable thing.
That's the ticket! Warm milk and toast is just the ticket for you.
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Archaic. a placard.
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Obsolete. a short note, notice, or memorandum.
verb (used with object)
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tickets,
present (3rd person singular)
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ticketed,
past participle, past
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ticketing
present participle
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to attach a ticket to; distinguish by means of a ticket; label.
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to furnish with a ticket, as on the railroad.
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to serve with a summons for a traffic or parking violation.
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to attach such a summons to.
to ticket illegally parked cars.
idioms
noun
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a piece of paper, cardboard, etc, showing that the holder is entitled to certain rights, such as travel on a train or bus, entry to a place of public entertainment, etc
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(modifier) concerned with or relating to the issue, sale, or checking of tickets
a ticket office
ticket collector
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a piece of card, cloth, etc, attached to an article showing information such as its price, size, or washing instructions
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a summons served for a parking offence or violation of traffic regulations
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informal the certificate of competence issued to a ship's captain or an aircraft pilot
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the group of candidates nominated by one party in an election; slate
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the declared policy of a political party at an election
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informal a certificate of discharge from the armed forces
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informal the right or appropriate thing
that's the ticket
-
informal to be conceited
verb
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to issue or attach a ticket or tickets to
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informal to earmark for a particular purpose
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ticketsimple
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ticketssimple
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have ticketedperfect
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has ticketedperfect
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am ticketingprogressive
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are ticketingprogressive
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is ticketingprogressive
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have been ticketingperfect progressive
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has been ticketingperfect progressive
Past
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ticketedsimple
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had ticketedperfect
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was ticketingprogressive
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were ticketingprogressive
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had been ticketingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ticket
1520–30; 1925–30 ticket for def. 4; earlier tiket < Middle French etiquet memorandum. See etiquette
Explanation
A ticket is the slip of paper or card you need to be admitted to a movie theater, a museum, or an airplane. Your ticket proves that you've paid or been invited. Other types of tickets include the ones you get as a receipt or bill, and the kind a traffic officer hands you when you're caught driving 40 miles per hour in a 30 MPH zone. In the U.S., ticket is also used to mean "ballot," as in "I'm not excited either of the candidates on that party's ticket." If someone tells you "That's the ticket!", they mean you've made exactly the right choice.
Vocabulary lists containing ticket
U.S. Government - Introductory
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U.S. Government - Middle School and High School
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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.
See Examples For:
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" continued dominating the North American box office, drawing an additional $70 million in ticket sales on its third weekend on the big screen, according to industry estimates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
He adds: "46% of ticket buyers are new to Sophia Gardens, 30% are female buyers, and 46% are family tickets."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
On the other hand, some supporters raised concerns at the recent forum about season ticket prices increasing for the current campaign despite all that happened in May.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Revenue surged but so did expenses as the ticket reseller dealt with customer complaints and refunds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Then I will not have to board the ship in the usual way & present a ticket.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Travellers are hoping that opening the line to competition will drive down prices for tickets that can often be more expensive than Paris-to-London airline fares.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
As of Aug. 16, the code took $2 off tickets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Social media accounts spiked, shirts sold out, match tickets went for stupid money.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Many visitors, like Weinstock, who flew using travel points, had to buy tickets more than six months in advance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“The Prize Pavilion doesn’t take cash. Mimi had to use tickets to buy her prizes. And Darryl said he hadn’t sold her any tickets.”
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
There are a range of free and ticketed events to help people enjoy the spectacle, with venues including a spectacular beachside spot, an observatory and even a pub with its own observatory.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The ticketed locations open at 11:00 on Saturday, and allow for unlimited exit and re-entry and include toilets.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
It launched a sub-brand called D&B Unlocked, a ticketed event discovery platform in which guests can sift through upcoming nightlife offerings at their local arcade.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
That got Chris Chevrier in trouble when police in his Detroit exurb recently ticketed him for riding an unregistered motorcycle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
To put England’s advance in context, it would be over a century before music-mad Vienna had similarly open-to-all, ticketed public concerts.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Infantino is under increasing pressure following his proposal to create a new company - FFE - to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including World Cups.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The StubHub spokesperson said primary ticketing companies “only provide tickets to fans just before events,” which “creates this friction on resale marketplaces.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Hollywood super agent Ari Emanuel’s newevents and experiences company, Mari, acquired ticketing business TodayTix Group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
FFE would have meant a new company being created to manage commercial and ticketing rights of all Fifa competitions, including World Cups, with 21% sold off to a private investment company.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
She needed him to leave so that she could take over the ticketing and find herself a suitable meal, which, if he didn’t leave soon, would absolutely end up being Boaz.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
