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 Her plans for her windfall include some repairs in her home, according to lottery officials. Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Currently, 65,000 visas—a figure that hasn’t changed in more than two decades—can be awarded each year via a lottery, while another 20,000 can go to those who earn a graduate degree in the U.S. Demand is overwhelming supply: In 2023, hundreds of thousands of applicants were denied. Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 More than 175,000 other tickets sold in California won prizes ranging from $2 to nearly $12,000 in the drawing, the lottery said. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 What is the Powerball payout on matching 2 lottery numbers? Evan Frank, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 The Wayne County man had won $100,000 in a random lottery drawing, officials said in a March 6 news release. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 How much was Mega Millions lottery jackpot for Tuesday, March 5? Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024 This year, the program will replace its first-come, first-serve basis with a lottery. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Some states tax lottery winnings with rates as low as 2.5% in Arizona ($6.6 million) to as high as 10.9% in New York ($28.9 million), though other states like California or Texas don’t tax winnings. Ty Roush, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near lottery

Cite this Entry

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

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

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