sweepstake
Americannoun
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.
You might have had an email from someone you work with about a sweepstake.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2021
The Broncos were the big losers in the aforementioned Kirk Cousins sweepstake.
From The Guardian • Sep. 12, 2018
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
Also related to this story Inside the world's most famous race Pinstickers' guide to the Grand National Grand National sweepstake kit Grand National field is finalised Humans have got much faster... so why haven't horses?
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2014
Two dracaenae exchanged coins like they were taking bets for the End-of-the-World office sweepstake.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
