SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

scratch ticket

noun

variants: or chiefly British scratch card

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of scratch ticket

: a card (such as a lottery ticket) having a small area covered by an opaque coating which may be scratched off to reveal hidden information (such as a prize)

won fifty dollars on a ten dollar scratch ticket

See scratch ticket defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of scratch ticket from the Web

Additionally, free scratch cards between the amounts of $5-$50 will be given out on Saturday, April 7.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Pet Supplies Plus to open second Katy-area store," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scratch ticket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of scratch ticket

1977

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up scratch ticket? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

grudging

play

unwilling or reluctant

BROWSE DICTIONARY

scratch the/an itch

scratch the/that itch

scratch ticket

scratchweed

scratch wig

Test Your Vocabulary

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Which of the following best describes an easily irritated person?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Words from Letters in the Greek Alphabet

When English borrows from another alphabet

alt-5ada140ed3e28

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

alt-5ad8fc71357ed

Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

No, it's not a coiffure trend

alt-5ad8d3361fb97

Where 'Cliff-hangers' Come From

You're on the edge of your seat

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz

cats-on-impossible-timber

More Confusing Words—Quiz

How many of these commonly confused words do you know?

Take the quiz

Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game