sweepstake
Americannoun
-
sweepstakes
plural
noun
-
-
a lottery in which the stakes of the participants constitute the prize
-
the prize itself
-
-
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:
Pringles’ Halloween sweepstake promises one winner a metal urn shaped like the brand’s cylindrical cans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Buyers will also be entered into a sweepstake, with the chance of winning prizes including a gala dinner or a game of golf with Mr Trump.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2022
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
Two dracaenae exchanged coins like they were taking bets for the End-of-the-World office sweepstake.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Two red flags during final practice had led some teams to have private sweepstakes as to how many stoppages there would be in qualifying, but the session ran cleanly, with no incidents.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
This was a blow to Nevada, the runner-up in the calendar sweepstakes, and not a very sporting one at that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
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
The chain plans to continue to honor expired coupons after the sweepstakes ends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
There were no play areas, no sweepstakes or “Happy Meals,” no giveaways or promotions.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
