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jackpot

jackpot

90 3.7
A large amount of money you win in a game like the lottery
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒækpɒt/
translation icon : bote
  • When I hit the jackpot, I'll buy myself an awesome car.
  • hit the jackpot

Slot machines tend to be a sucker bet and very, very few people win the jackpot.

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Examples

  • The money will keep climbing, with officials stating an estimated record jackpot in the $425 million range.

    Blog text (2)
  • Xara thinks she's hit the jackpot when she discovers a new species of berry, sweet and tasty.

    Blog text (17)
  • And in most cases, you never hit the jackpot and you end up just losing more.

  • Looks like I won the jackpot!

  • If you are looking to hit the jackpot, your odds may be better at the casino!

    Blog text (11)
  • I suppose that some people win slot machine jackpots that are worth millions of dollars.

  • Mortgage bankers hit the jackpot in Nevada last week, gambling with the mortgages there.

    Blog text (3)
  • We've hit the jackpot.

  • After playing the lottery every week for a year, she finally won a huge jackpot that changed her life.

  • The unexpected success of his startup felt like hitting the jackpot in the competitive tech industry.

Synonyms

prize
vsjackpot
892 1.0

An award given for winning a competition or achievement

is the special case of a very large cash award from chance events
fortune
vsjackpot
453 2.8

A very large amount of money

is a particular large prize rather than broad long-term wealth
pot
vsjackpot
  • Jargon
121 3.2

The total money players bet in a card game like poker

is the final very large prize often won from such a pooled contest
payout
vsjackpot
48 3.4

An amount of money paid to someone as a reward, compensation, or winnings

is a single unusually large reward won in chance-based games
bounty
vsjackpot
45 4.1

A large amount of food produced by a farm or nature

is an especially large monetary reward won in chance-based games
windfall
vsjackpot
35 5.1

A large amount of money that you get unexpectedly

is a large prize won by chance rather than an ordinary unexpected gain
prize money
vsjackpot
28 2.3

Money given to winners of a competition

is specifically a very large cash reward often from lotteries or gambling
bonanza
vsjackpot
25 7.1

A time that brings a large unexpected amount of money or success

is a specific large cash prize often obtained through gambling or lottery
kitty
vsjackpot
22 4.9

Money collected from a group for a game or to pay shared costs

is the single large reward that an individual wins from such a pool
big fat prize
vsjackpot
  • Informal
1 3.1

A very large and impressive award given to the winner

is the formal idea of a very large gambling or lottery reward
big fat bonus
vsjackpot
  • Informal
1 3.3

A large extra payment from your job for good work

is typically a one-off large reward won by chance rather than earned pay
winnings
vsjackpot
2.7

Money a person gets from gambling or contests

is a single very large gambling or lottery prize rather than routine gains

Antonyms

695 2.1

Money lost by a business or person

557 1.3

Not reaching what was planned or expected

Idioms

To have a big, unexpected success because of luck

How Valuable

fortune
453 2.8
jackpot
90 3.7
windfall
35 5.1
prize
892 1.0

Surface Forms

jackpot singular
jackpots plural

Morphology

jackpot = jack + pot (semi-transparent) = jack + pot

The components 'jack' and 'pot' are recognizable and point to a gambling money-pool origin, but the modern generalized meaning 'large prize' is a semantic extension that is not fully predictable from the parts for all learners.

Etymology

Jackpot comes from old poker games and joins jack (the playing card) and pot 'the pool of money players bet'. Originally the big pot could only be won with a pair of jacks or better, so jackpot came to mean a very large prize or a big, lucky success.