sweepstakes

[ sweep-steyks ]

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 ( def 2 ).
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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweepstakes¹

1485–95; earlier swepestake originally, a person who won all the stakes in a game; sweep ¹, stake ², -s ³

Example Sentences

He has already bestowed the first few checks and expanded the sweepstakes to signers from the other key electoral battlegrounds, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina.

From Los Angeles Times

While everyone I spoke with in Kentucky had come down with the presidential sweepstakes fever, I couldn’t find anyone making sense.

From Salon

The scary part about Rylee Blade shattering the meet record in the girls’ sweepstakes race at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic on Saturday night is she believes she can run even faster.

From Los Angeles Times

Though she has sidestepped questions about the Trump's VP sweepstakes, Stefanik's public reverence for the former president, frequent pilgrimages to Mar-a-Lago and potential electoral appeal have prompted speculation about her political future.

From Salon

This is what Nasubi, a Japanese actor and comedian, tells viewers in a new documentary about the 15 months he spent naked in isolation, entering magazine sweepstakes to earn food.

From Salon

Related Words

• betting
• chance
• long shot
• odds
• pledge
• risk
• speculation
• stake
• venture
• wager