What does "jackpot" mean?
A money prize pool which accumulates until the conditions are met for it to be won.
Jackpot
/ˈd͡ʒækpɒt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A money prize pool which accumulates until the conditions are met for it to be won.
- Grammar: jackpot is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: award, bank, bonanza, bonanzas.
- Useful contrasts: bad luck, deficit, loss.
- Usage evidence: John hit the jackpot. His efforts paid off beyond his wildest dreams.
How to use "jackpot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "jackpot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "jackpot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "jackpot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "jackpot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "jackpot" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "award" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A money prize pool which accumulates until the conditions are met for it to be won.
"If no player picks all six numbers correctly, the jackpot is rolled over and added to the next week's jackpot; several weeks of rollovers can build up jackpots up to $350 million or more."
- 2 A difficult situation. US, Western
"and if you are not next to the ways and customs, the first thing you know you are in a jackpot so big four one spots would not be openers. I don't know what that last expression means, but I heard a fellow use it, and he was talking about a fellow that was in a very bad fix."
- 3 any outstanding award wordnet
- 4 A large cash prize or money.
- 5 A jumble of felled timber.
"It frequently happens that trees fall across one another, forming what is known as a jackpot. A number of trees may fall in a single jackpot. One of the tools with which appellant claims a bucker should be provided is an undercutter rigging. When trees are in a jackpot, the proper method of procedure is to first cut the lower tree, and then the upper one. This lessens the liability of an upper log rolling or falling upon the workman while he Is engaged in cutting the lower tree. The cut of the lower tree is ordinarily made by sawing it from the upper side, but, when its position produces a strain which pinches the saw, it is sawed from the under side by what is known as an undercut. To make an undercut, it is necessary to have some appliance to support the moving saw which is then operated teeth upward. The appliance which appellant contends Is ordinarily used is known as an undercutter rigging. Having no undercutter rigging, appellant requested respondent's foreman to provide one, complaining that his work in a jackpot of large trees without one was unsafe and dangerous."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 the cumulative amount involved in a game (such as poker) wordnet
- 7 An unexpected windfall or reward.
- 8 A concentration of surface wood or fuel.
"a juniper jackpot"
- 9 A large accumulated point bonus, originally awarded after a long set of actions but now often easily available in multiball modes.
Verb
- 1 Of a slot machine, to issue a jackpot. intransitive
"I went into the Las Vegas Casino and played $20 in a nickel slot, and it jackpotted for $300."
- 2 To fraudulently exploit an automatic teller machine so that it dispenses cash that has not been withdrawn from an account. transitive, uncommon
Proper Noun
- 1 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.
"As a little girl, I was something of a tomboy. I played jackpot in the mud at recess, and my Christmas wish lists consisted of baseball mitts and remote controlled cars."
- 2 A census-designated place in Elko County, Nevada, United States.
Antonyms
Example
"John hit the jackpot. His efforts paid off beyond his wildest dreams."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "jackpot"?
Common synonyms include: award, bank, bonanza, bonanzas, bonus, coup.
How do you use "jackpot" in a sentence?
John hit the jackpot. His efforts paid off beyond his wildest dreams.
How do you pronounce "jackpot"?
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒækpɒt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
Unknown. Criminal slang usage as "trouble, especially an arrest" attested 1902.