sweepstake
Americannoun
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sweepstakes
plural
noun
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a lottery in which the stakes of the participants constitute the prize
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the prize itself
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any event involving a lottery, esp a horse race in which the prize is the competitors' stakes
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Omaze, a for-profit company, partners competitions with charities and celebrity endorsements using a sweepstake system, offering large value homes as prizes.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Keisha Schahaff joined her daughter after winning their tickets in a sweepstake.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2023
It's now like winning a lottery sweepstake, where the lucky few get a free new life, meanwhile, the others are denied any chance at life.
From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2018
Sitting on folding chairs, he and sound man John Harrison, 50, are passing the time by organizing a sweepstake on the date of the royal baby’s birth.
From Time ● Jul. 3, 2013
Two dracaenae exchanged coins like they were taking bets for the End-of-the-World office sweepstake.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Adams did not respond to a detailed list of questions about FLAG’s financial practices, sweepstakes operation and educational programming.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Plus, Netflix is rethinking some of its core strategies to compete with rivals, and the chaotic sweepstakes to replace Graham Platner has begun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The class-action lawsuit story is similar to the sweepstakes and lottery check scam: You are told you have won and/or been awarded money, and you can deposit this check in your bank account.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
“I think like sweepstakes and prediction markets, everyone has lost their mind when it comes to gambling,” said Rocha.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
Also used them to determine which candy bars held the winning pieces for a £5,000 sweepstakes.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
