jackpot

noun

jack·pot ˈjak-ˌpät

: the top prize in a game or contest (such as a lottery) that is typically a large fund of money formed by the accumulation of unwon prizes

b(1)

: a hand or game of draw poker in which a pair of jacks or better is required to open

(2)

: a large pot (as in poker) formed by the accumulation of stakes from previous play

c(1)

: a combination on a slot machine that wins a top prize or all the coins available for paying out

(2)

: the sum so won

: an impressive often unexpected success or reward

chiefly Western US : a tight spot : jam

Examples of jackpot in a Sentence

The lottery jackpot is up to one million dollars. a wily dude who managed to get himself out of one jackpot after another

Recent Examples on the Web Indeed, this claim often circulates in the media buzz around mega jackpots. —

Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023 Several people have won multiple jackpots over the years by buying lottery tickets with the same ticket number. —

Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023 The upcoming drawing will be the 36th in this jackpot run. —

Nouran Salahieh, CNN, 11 Oct. 2023 The Powerball frenzy continued on Wednesday as numbers were drawn for the $1.73 billion jackpot. —

Riley Hoffman, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2023 Luck be a lady at Excalibur in Las Vegas as a California woman hit a $12.1 million dollar jackpot on a slot machine, according to International Game Technology (IGT). —

Stepheny Price, Fox News, 5 Nov. 2023 Another man filed a lawsuit claiming to be the rightful winner of the jackpot instead of Castro a week later. —

Michael Lee Simpson, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023 The jackpot has grown enormous due to a long dry spell. —

Jim Salter, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023 The jackpot was the second largest in the game’s history and comes after someone else in the Golden State won the last jackpot, just over $1 billion in July. —

Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2023 See More

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