raffles

¹ American  

[raf-uhlz] / ˈræf əlz /

noun

(often initial capital letter)

1. a gentlemanly burglar, amateur housebreaker, or the like.

---

Raffles ² American  

[raf-uhlz] / ˈræf əlz /

noun

1. Sir Thomas Stamford, 1781–1826, English colonial administrator in the East Indies.

---

Raffles British  

/ ˈræfəlz /

noun

1. Sir Thomas Stamford . 1781–1826, British colonial administrator: founded Singapore (1819) as a station for the British East India Company

---

Etymology

Origin of raffles

1925–30; after Raffles, hero of The Amateur Cracksman, by E. W. Hornung (1866–1921), English novelist

Example Sentences

She has now set up a fundraiser and raffles to try and raise enough money for roof and kitchen repairs which she was told would cost around £30,000.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2023

In other attempted gimmicks, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is entering donors into raffles for Major League Soccer games or free tuition payments.

From Slate • Jul. 24, 2023

For some reason, he keeps entering raffles for travel but has not won another one since we got married.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2023

That’s largely what was available at the Rainier Community Center on Saturday: music, lawn games, raffles, local food and small businesses like Redd-Jones’ selling their merchandise that celebrates Black culture.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 18, 2023

She saw to it that she had a good pair of shoes for street wear, that she always had clothing, even during the times when the raffles were working only through some miracle.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez