lot ‧ te ‧ ry /ˈlɒtəri $ ˈlɑː-/ BrE AmE 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 :
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.