lottery
lot‧te‧ry /ˈlɒtəri $ ˈlɑː-/
noun (plural lotteries)
a lottery ticket
Do you really think winning the lottery would make you happy?
national/state lottery
2. [uncountable and countable] American English a system of deciding who will get something by choosing people’s names by chance
by lottery
The State Department issues 55,000 visas each year by lottery.
3. a lottery a situation in which what happens depends on chance and is not certain to be successful:
That’s the trouble with capitalism. It’s a lottery.
lot‧te‧ry /ˈlɒtəri $ ˈlɑː-/
noun (plural lotteries) Date: 1500-1600
Language: French
Origin: loterie, from Middle Dutch, from lot 'lot'
1. [countable] a game used to make money for a state or a charity in which people buy tickets with a series of numbers on them. If their number is picked by chance, they win money or a prize ⇨ raffle, draw:Language: French
Origin: loterie, from Middle Dutch, from lot 'lot'
national/state lottery
2. [uncountable and countable] American English a system of deciding who will get something by choosing people’s names by chance
by lottery
3. a lottery a situation in which what happens depends on chance and is not certain to be successful: