beauty contest
Americannoun
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a competition in which the entrants, usually women, are judged as to physical beauty and sometimes personality and talent, with the winners awarded prizes or titles.
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Informal. any contest, election, etc., that is decided on the basis of popularity.
noun
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a competition in which the participants, usually women, are judged on their attractiveness, with a prize, and often a title, awarded to the winner
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informal any contest decided on the basis of superficial attractiveness, popularity, etc
the referendum might turn into a party political beauty contest
Etymology
Origin of beauty contest
First recorded in 1895–1900
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s a hell of a thing when the S5 loses a beauty contest to the Toyota Crown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
The wildlife beauty contest gives the colourful kingfisher and common frog an equal chance of a place on the next series of Bank of England notes.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Westminster has long faced protests from animal rights activists who view the competition as a deplorable canine beauty contest fueling faddish puppy buying and reckless breeding.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024
A beauty contest to select Miss Grand Central Air Terminal 1947 in Glendale wound up with only 10 contestants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2023
I started to untie Old Dan but, taking a closer look at him, I could see he could never win a beauty contest.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
