jackpot

noun

jack·​pot ˈjak-ˌpät How to pronounce jackpot (audio)
1
a
: the top prize in a game or contest (such as a lottery) that is typically a large fund of money formed by the accumulation of unwon prizes
b(1)
: a hand or game of draw poker in which a pair of jacks or better is required to open
(2)
: a large pot (as in poker) formed by the accumulation of stakes from previous play
c(1)
: a combination on a slot machine that wins a top prize or all the coins available for paying out
(2)
: the sum so won
2
: an impressive often unexpected success or reward
3
chiefly Western US : a tight spot : jam

Examples of jackpot in a Sentence

The lottery jackpot is up to one million dollars. a wily dude who managed to get himself out of one jackpot after another
Recent Examples on the Web Saturday's Powerball drawing boasted a jackpot of $521 million with a cash option of $254.8 million. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024 Four jackpots and seven $100,000 prizes remain to be won. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 The following Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots made the Top 10 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, as of March 6, 2024. 10. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 What to know about Mega Millions To score a jackpot in the Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball. Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 In addition to editing content, Alex also covers breaking news, writing about crime and severe weather as well as everything from multistate lottery jackpots to the July Fourth hot dog eating contest. Alex Sundby, CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 Tangent Powerball will hold its drawing for a $412 million jackpot later on Wednesday. Ty Roush, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 The Mega Millions jackpot has reached more than $560 million for Tuesday night's drawing after no one won the big prize on Friday night. USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 Consistency paid off for a Kent County woman who recently won a Lotto 47 jackpot worth $1.1 million. Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jackpot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1b(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of jackpot was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near jackpot

Cite this Entry

“Jackpot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackpot. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jackpot

noun
jack·​pot ˈjak-ˌpät How to pronounce jackpot (audio)
1
: a large poker pot formed by the accumulation of stakes from previous play
2
a
: a combination on a slot machine that wins a top prize or all the coins in the machine
b
: the sum so won
3
: a great often unexpected success or reward

More from Merriam-Webster on jackpot

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