Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for sweepstakes. Search instead for Twitter sweepstakes.
Synonyms

sweepstakes

American  
[sweep-steyks] / ˈswipˌsteɪks /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

  1. a race or other contest for which the prize consists of the stakes contributed by the various competitors.

  2. the prize itself.

  3. 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.

  4. lottery.

  5. any gambling transaction in which each of a number of persons contributes a stake, and the stakes are awarded to one or several winners.

  6. 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; 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.

“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

And Bonta ruled against daily fantasy sweepstakes, reiterating the state’s position on gaming.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 28, 2025

The Dodgers instead went after Blake Snell with a $182-million contract, and won the January sweepstakes for Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2025

Throw in a promotion or a sweepstakes, and we’ve got hours of content.

From Slate • Feb. 9, 2025

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.