- plural of sweepstake.
sweepstakes
Americannoun
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a race or other contest for which the prize consists of the stakes contributed by the various competitors.
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the prize itself.
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a lottery in which winning tickets are selected at random, each winning-ticket number then being matched to one of the horses nominated for or entered in a specific race, and the amounts paid the winners being determined by the finishing order of the horses that run.
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any gambling transaction in which each of a number of persons contributes a stake, and the stakes are awarded to one or several winners.
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a risky venture that promises large rewards.
the high-tech sweepstakes.
Etymology
Origin of sweepstakes
1485–95; earlier swepestake originally, a person who won all the stakes in a game; see sweep 1, stake 2, -s 3
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.
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 chain plans to continue to honor expired coupons after the sweepstakes ends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Paramount applied for the Justice Department’s approval in December — more than two months before it edged out Netflix in the Warner sweepstakes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 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
Las Vegas and buried treasure; numbers dealers and Wells Fargo wagons; race track pay windows and spewing oil wells; craps, flushes, and sweepstakes tickets.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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.
