jackpot

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The biggest prize in a game or lottery, often one that gets larger each time nobody wins it.

   Grammar: Often used with win, hit or split: win the jackpot.

   Patterns

   • win the jackpot
   • hit the jackpot
   • a jackpot of something

   The lottery jackpot rose to fifty million dollars after no one picked the numbers.

   He pulled the lever and hit the jackpot on the slot machine.

   Three friends shared the jackpot after buying a ticket together.

2. 2nouncountablefigurativeinformal

   A very large, unexpected piece of good luck or reward in any area of life.

   Grammar: Mostly in the phrase hit the jackpot: it suggests sudden success.

   Patterns

   • hit the jackpot with something
   • hit the jackpot

   The little cafe hit the jackpot when a famous chef reviewed it.

   You hit the jackpot with that babysitter; the kids adore her.

   Finding the old book at a yard sale was a real jackpot.

Word forms

Common combinations

win the jackpot

She dreamed of the day she would win the jackpot.

hit the jackpot

The start-up hit the jackpot with its first app.

jackpot prize

The jackpot prize grows every week.

rolling jackpot

A rolling jackpot attracted thousands of new players.

jackpot winner

The jackpot winner has not yet come forward.

Synonyms and how they differ

grand prize

Grand prize is the top reward in a contest and does not imply that the sum grows over time as a jackpot does.

windfall

A windfall is any sudden gain of money, while a jackpot is specifically a prize or a major success.

bonanza

Bonanza stresses abundance and wealth, usually in business or mining, rather than a single prize.

pot

Pot is the total money in a game such as cards, whereas jackpot is the largest prize.

Opposites

Word family

jackpotted adjective

describing a prize that has grown because nobody won it (informal)

pot noun

the total stakes in a game

win verb

to succeed in getting a prize

winnings noun

money won in gambling or a contest

Commonly confused: jackpot or jackpot?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “jackpot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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