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sweepstake

American  
[sweep-steyk] / ˈswipˌsteɪk /

noun

  1. a sweepstakes.

sweepstake British  
/ ˈswiːpˌsteɪk /

noun

    1. a lottery in which the stakes of the participants constitute the prize

    2. the prize itself

  2. any event involving a lottery, esp a horse race in which the prize is the competitors' stakes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sweepstake

C15: originally referring to someone who sweeps or takes all the stakes in a game

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.

"You only do that because you think you have to, but using a sweepstake is not a bad idea. Whether or not it will work is another whole thing. It could just as easily backfire," he told CNBC.

From BBC

"They all thought I was going to kick the bucket, but I won the sweepstake down the golf club."

From BBC

In summary, if you have India or Pakistan in the workplace sweepstake, you might be in the money.

From BBC

Keisha Schahaff joined her daughter after winning their tickets in a sweepstake.

From BBC

Keisha Schahaff and Ana Mayers won their tickets in a sweepstake.

From BBC

Definitions 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.