- 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.
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
Nearly all of FLAG’s revenue originates from individual donors, and most of that money is raised through a direct-mail sweepstakes operation that offers the chance to win prizes, in one case $1,000,000.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
Uruguay probably won’t win the World Cup, but La Celeste is already a champion in the base camp sweepstakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 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
Mam wants to know if I won the sweepstakes and I tell her people give me tips.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
