jackpot

noun

jack·​pot ˈjak-ˌpät 

1

a

: 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

2

: an impressive often unexpected success or reward

3

chiefly Western US : a tight spot : jam

Synonyms of jackpot

• predicament
• pickle
• dilemma
• hole
• jam
• corner

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

Only one of Friday’s big money Florida Lottery draw games — Mega Millions, Fantasy 5, Jackpot Triple Play — paid off with its biggest prize, but two players from Miami-Dade got that jackpot luck. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

The prize joins a growing list of jackpots that have produced some of the biggest lottery payouts in the United States. — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2026

Thunder Valley has paid out more than 251,000 jackpots over the past year, averaging nearly 700 jackpots per day, or roughly one every 2 minutes. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 16 Aug. 2026

The massive jackpot — secured by matching white balls 4, 26, 66, 67, 69 and red Powerball 9 — was the eighth largest lottery prize in history, and the second largest in the state. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined at sense 1b(1)

Phrases Containing jackpot

• hit the jackpot

Rhymes for jackpot

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

jackpot

noun

jack·​pot ˈjak-ˌpät 

1

: a large poker pot formed by the accumulation of stakes from previous play

2

a

: a combination on a slot machine that wins a top prize or all the coins in the machine

b

: the sum so won

3

: a great often unexpected success or reward