tombola

[ tom-buh-luh ]

nounBritish.

house (def. 20).

Origin of tombola

1875–80; <Italian, derivative of tombolare to tumble, itself derivative of tombare to fall

Words Nearby tombola

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tombola in a sentence

The little cracked bells of the tiny church have been tinkling and in front of the church is a staging for a tombola.
Polly the Pagan | Isabel Anderson
The public censor knows his business; give the Romans bread, and the circus or tombola, they will be content—forever?'
Continental Monthly, Vol. I, No. VI, June, 1862 | Various
To attract custom and push the sale of refreshments, the proprietor of the ball ends the Sunday hop with a tombola.
The Life of the Fly | J. Henri Fabre
Three old ladies in Trim decided to get up a tombola for the poor this winter, and of course they sent Murphy a sheaf of tickets.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, January 21st, 1920 | Various
As lotteries are illegal they, being pious, hated them; anyway they decided to call it a tombola.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, January 21st, 1920 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for tombola

tombola

/ (tɒmˈbəʊlə) /

noun

British a type of lottery, esp at a fête, in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum

Origin of tombola

C19: from Italian, from tombolare to somersault; see tumble

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

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