lottery

The word “lottery” means a game in which people buy numbered tickets and prizes are awarded to whichever numbers are drawn at random. In plain terms, a game of chance with tickets and prizes, or, more loosely, anything decided purely by luck.

“Lottery” is pronounced LO-tuh-ree (/ˈlɑtɚi/ in IPA).

Here is “lottery” used in a sentence: “He won ten thousand dollars in the state lottery.”

“Lottery” is a noun.

The word “lottery” comes from Old English. From Italian lotteria, ultimately related to the Old English word "hlot," the ancestor of "lot.".

“Lottery” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Lottery” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a game in which people buy numbered tickets and prizes are awarded to whichever numbers are drawn at random.

Both award prizes by random draw, but a lottery is a game in which people buy numbered tickets and prizes go to whichever numbers are drawn, typically with cash prizes and large-scale organisation. A raffle is usually a smaller event, often run for charity or at a fundraiser, where tickets are drawn for specific donated prizes rather than money.

A postcode lottery is a British expression for a situation in which the quality or availability of a service, often healthcare, depends on where you happen to live rather than on need or fairness. It uses lottery in the figurative sense of an outcome decided purely by chance.

Generally, yes. Because players pay for tickets and prizes are awarded to numbers drawn at random, winning depends on chance rather than skill, which is the defining feature of gambling. Lotteries are typically regulated under gambling or gaming laws, though the exact legal treatment varies by country.