What does lottery mean?

Definitions for lottery
ˈlɒt ə rilot·te·ry

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word lottery.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. lotterynoun

    something that is regarded as a chance event

    "the election was just a lottery to them"

  2. lottery, drawingnoun

    players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are distributed by casting lots

Wiktionary

  1. lotterynoun

    A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.

  2. lotterynoun

    An affair of chance.

  3. lotterynoun

    Allotment; a thing allotted.

  4. Etymology: from lotteria, from the same root as hlot (cognate with lot)

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Lotterynoun

    A game of chance; a sortilege; distribution of prizes by chance; a play in which lots are drawn for prizes.

    Etymology: lotterie, Fr. from lot.

    Let high-sighted tyranny range on,
    Till each man drop by lottery. William Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar.

    The lottery that he hath devised in these three chests of gold, silver, and lead, will never be chosen by any but whom you shall rightly love. William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice.

    Every warriour may be said to be a soldier of fortune, and the best commanders to have a kind of lottery for their work. Robert South, Sermons.

    Fortune, that with malicious joy
    Does man, her slave, oppress,
    Still various and unconstant still,
    Promotes, degrades, delights in strife,
    And makes a lottery of life. John Dryden, Horace.

Wikipedia

  1. Lottery

    A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments. The most common regulation is prohibition of sale to minors, and vendors must be licensed to sell lottery tickets. Although lotteries were common in the United States and some other countries during the 19th century, by the beginning of the 20th century, most forms of gambling, including lotteries and sweepstakes, were illegal in the U.S. and most of Europe as well as many other countries. This remained so until well after World War II. In the 1960s, casinos and lotteries began to re-appear throughout the world as a means for governments to raise revenue without raising taxes. Lotteries come in many formats. For example, the prize can be a fixed amount of cash or goods. In this format, there is risk to the organizer if insufficient tickets are sold. More commonly, the prize fund will be a fixed percentage of the receipts. A popular form of this is the "50–50" draw, where the organizers promise that the prize will be 50% of the revenue. Many recent lotteries allow purchasers to select the numbers on the lottery ticket, resulting in the possibility of multiple winners.

ChatGPT

  1. lottery

    A lottery is a type of game or event in which participants purchase tickets or chances to win, and winners are selected by a random draw. Prizes can range from small items to large sums of money, depending on the specific rules of the lottery. The outcome of a lottery is entirely based on chance and not influenced by any kind of skill or strategy. It is typically regulated by government authorities to ensure fairness and legality.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Lotterynoun

    a scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance; esp., a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, and the rest of tickets are blanks. Fig. : An affair of chance

  2. Lotterynoun

    allotment; thing allotted

  3. Etymology: [Lot + -ery, as in brewery, bindery.]

Wikidata

  1. Lottery

    A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize which may be a certain amount of money and is taxable if over a certain amount depending on the country and or state the lottery was drawn. Most lottery expenditures go to various institutions, primarily public school systems. Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments. At the beginning of the 20th century, most forms of gambling, including lotteries and sweepstakes, were illegal in many countries, including the U.S.A. and most of Europe. This remained so until after World War II. In the 1960s casinos and lotteries began to appear throughout the world as a means to raise revenue in addition to taxes. Lotteries come in many formats. For example, the prize can be a fixed amount of cash or goods. In this format there is risk to the organizer if insufficient tickets are sold. More commonly the prize fund will be a fixed percentage of the receipts. A popular form of this is the "50–50" draw where the organizers promise that the prize will be 50% of the revenue. Many recent lotteries allow purchasers to select the numbers on the lottery ticket, resulting in the possibility of multiple winners.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Lottery

    lot′ėr-i, n. a distribution of prizes by lot or chance: a game of chance.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of lottery in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of lottery in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of lottery in a Sentence

  1. Robyn Meija:

    My husband took the ticket to the store to scan it, just to be sure it was real, we also asked my brother-in-law to come over and scan it on the Maryland Lottery.Meija Lottery app.

  2. Carol Lesser:

    She got a lot of offers of where to go, i told her,' Wow Susana Orrego Villegas won the lottery, you guys are coming to Susana Orrego Villegas !'.

  3. Erika Guevara-Rosas:

    Tragically, for women across Latin America, receiving life-saving medical treatment depends on the good will of a health professional or the depth of her pockets, this outrageous and utterly illegal lottery-style approach to health care is putting thousands of lives at risk.

  4. Raj Shah:

    The President will only accept an immigration deal that adequately addresses the visa lottery system and chain migration – two programs that hurt our economy and allow terrorists into our country.

  5. Anirudh Rastogi:

    This rate is typically used to tax activities that are not considered economically productive, such as lottery, so this could be an indication that the government wants to make revenue, but it does not see crypto trading as economically productive.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

lottery#1#5481#10000

Translations for lottery

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"lottery." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 17 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/lottery>.

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