Meaning & use
ticket
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Meanings
nouncountable
A small piece of paper or a digital code that shows you have paid to enter a place or travel.
Grammar: Countable; use a/an or a number before it.
Patterns
- a ticket for something
- a ticket to something
- buy a ticket
I bought two tickets for the concert on Saturday.
She showed her ticket to the conductor on the train.
You can get a digital ticket on your phone.
nouncountableAmerican
An official notice that you must pay a fine for breaking a traffic or parking rule.
Grammar: Countable; often used with get or give.
Patterns
- get a ticket
- give someone a ticket
- a parking ticket
He got a ticket for parking in a no-parking zone.
The police officer gave her a ticket for speeding.
I have to pay a $50 ticket for running a red light.
nouncountable
A list of candidates that a political party puts forward in an election.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the phrase 'on the ticket'.
Patterns
- on the ticket
- a party ticket
- run on a ticket
She ran for mayor on the Democratic ticket.
The two candidates are on the same ticket.
He was chosen to be on the party's ticket for the senate.
verbtransitiveAmerican
To give someone an official notice that they must pay a fine for a traffic or parking offense.
Grammar: Takes an object: ticket someone (for something).
Patterns
- ticket someone
- ticket someone for something
The officer ticketed him for illegal parking.
She was ticketed for driving without a license.
They ticket cars that block the driveway.
Word forms
| plural | tickets |
|---|---|
| third person singular | tickets |
| past tense | ticketed |
| past participle | ticketed |
| -ing form | ticketing |
Common combinations
- buy a ticket
- You should buy your tickets early.
- get a ticket
- He got a ticket for speeding.
- parking ticket
- She found a parking ticket on her windshield.
- ticket office
- The ticket office is next to the main entrance.
- ticket to something
- This is your ticket to success.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- ticketing noun
- The act of issuing tickets or the system for selling them.
- ticketless adjective
- Without a physical ticket, often used for digital systems.
Commonly confused: ticket or ticked?
ticket vs ticked
Ticked is the past tense of tick or an informal adjective meaning annoyed; ticket is the noun or verb for admission or a fine.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'The police officer _____ him for speeding.'
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'ticketed' is needed here to show the officer gave him a ticket. 'Ticket' is the base form, 'ticketing' is the -ing form, and 'tickets' is the third-person singular or plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ticket”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.