lottery

noun

lot·​tery ˈlä-tə-rē How to pronounce lottery (audio)
 also  ˈlä-trē
plural lotteries
often attributive
1
a
: a drawing of lots in which prizes are distributed to the winners among persons buying a chance
b
: a drawing of lots used to decide something
2
: an event or affair whose outcome is or seems to be determined by chance

Examples of lottery in a Sentence

They held a lottery to determine who could get a green card. Room assignments are determined by lottery. Life's a lottery, isn't it? It all depends on luck.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Powerball lottery jackpot continues to grow after no one matched all six numbers from Monday night's drawing. —Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Nov. 2024 Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and America PAC over the offer, calling it an unlawful lottery under Pennsylvania law and leading to Monday’s court hearing. —David Ingram, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024 The lottery game had 500,000 tickets available for purchase. —Ahjané Forbes, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024 The first lottery, slated for Nov. 25, will determine the winners for nine out of the commonwealth's 11 dispensary licensing regions. —Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lottery 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French loterie, probably borrowed from Middle Dutch loterye, from loten "to draw lots" (derivative of lot "lot, prediction, destiny," going back to Germanic *hluta-) + -erye -ery — more at lot entry 1

Note: Alternatively the Middle Dutch word could have been borrowed from Middle French loterie (despite the French word's later date), perhaps a calque on Middle Dutch lotinge "action of drawing lots" (thus the Oxford English Dictionary, third edition). The earliest state-sponsored lotteries in Europe were held in the cities of Flanders in the first half of the 15th century. The first English state lottery was held in 1569, with advertisements using the word lotterie having been printed two years earlier.

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of lottery was in 1567

Phrases Containing lottery

Dictionary Entries Near lottery

lotter

lottery

lottery bond

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Lottery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lottery. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

lottery

noun
lot·​tery ˈlät-ə-rē How to pronounce lottery (audio)
ˈlä-trē
plural lotteries
: a drawing of lots in which prizes are given to the winning names or numbers

More from Merriam-Webster on lottery

Nglish: Translation of lottery for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of lottery for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lottery

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