lottery
[ lot-uh-ree ]
/ ˈlɒt ə ri /
noun, plural lot·ter·ies.
a gambling game or method of raising money, as for some public charitable purpose, in which a large number of tickets are sold and a drawing is held for certain prizes.
any scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance.
any happening or process that is or appears to be determined by chance: to look upon life as a lottery.
Origin of lottery
OTHER WORDS FROM lottery
an·ti·lot·ter·y, adjectiveWords nearby lottery
lotophagi,
lotos,
lots,
lotta,
lotte,
lottery,
lottie,
lotto,
lotus,
lotus of the good law,
lotus position
Example sentences from the Web for lottery
British Dictionary definitions for lottery
lottery
/ (ˈlɒtərɪ) /
noun plural -teries
a method of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving a proportion of the money raised to holders of numbers drawn at random
a similar method of raising money in which players select a small group of numbers out of a larger group printed on a ticket. If a player's selection matches some or all of the numbers drawn at random the player wins a proportion of the prize fund
an activity or endeavour the success of which is regarded as a matter of fate or luck
Word Origin for lottery
C16: from Old French
loterie, from Middle Dutch
loterije. See
lot