jackpot
/ˈd͡ʒækpɒt/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms jackpots jackpotting jackpotted
- noun A money prize pool which accumulates until the conditions are met for it to be won.
- noun A large cash prize or money.
- noun An unexpected windfall or reward.
- noun (forestry) A concentration of surface wood or fuel.
- noun (pinball) A large accumulated point bonus, originally awarded after a long set of actions but now often easily available in multiball modes.
- noun (playground games, uncountable) A ball game in which a thrower calls out a point value and whether the ball must be caught "alive" (in the air) or "dead" (having touched the ground), and a group of catchers compete to catch the ball.
- verb (intransitive) Of a slot machine, to issue a jackpot.
- verb (transitive, crime, uncommon) To fraudulently exploit an automatic teller machine so that it dispenses cash that has not been withdrawn from an account.
- noun (Western US) A difficult situation.
- noun A jumble of felled timber.
- proper noun A census-designated place in Elko County, Nevada, United States.
Synonyms
Etymology
Attested as jack-pot (“big prize”), 1944; from sense "slot machine" (1932), from obsolete poker sense (1881) "antes that begin when no player has a pair of jacks or better"; from jack (“playing card”) + pot.
Unknown. Criminal slang usage as "trouble, especially an arrest" attested 1902.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “jackpot”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details