winner take all

[ win-er teyk awl ]

idiom

1. a situation or outcome in which the winner receives all the prizes or rewards (often used attributively):

   In some states, delegates are proportioned according to the vote, whereas in others the contests are winner take all.

   The qualifying tournament leaves little room for error, and once a team advances past group play, they face a must-win situation in a winner-take-all quarterfinal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of winner take all¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

“In politics, it’s winner take all, loser take none. And the fact is for me: I no longer think Trump can win.”

From Seattle Times

When Trump controlled the party infrastructure in 2020, Republicans worked to convert states from proportional systems — where candidates were awarded delegates in proportion to the vote they received — or hybrid ones to winner take all.

From Seattle Times

And that’s increasingly mirrored by chaos in the courts, as judges desperately seek to impose dueling versions of the kind of stability and certainty upon which law is built—and which is no longer possible in a winner take all post-Dobbs world.

From Slate

It's impossible to have a real conversation about the homeless mental health crisis without examining how it's a direct consequence of our winner take all scarcity-based housing market and for-profit health care system.

From Salon

“It’s winner take all,” she said.

From Seattle Times