sweepstake
Definition
- Noun (countable, often used in singular or plural form):
- A lottery or gambling arrangement: "sweepstake" refers to a form of gambling, often associated with horse racing, where all participants' stakes (money or bets) are pooled together, and the winner takes the entire sum. It is a "winner-takes-all" system.
- A prize competition: In modern usage, "sweepstake" also denotes a promotional contest where prizes are awarded to winners selected at random, often without requiring a purchase.
Usage Examples
- (He won the lottery where all bets were pooled.)
- (A prize competition based on chance.)
Advanced Usage
- "to enter a sweepstake": to participate in a lottery or prize draw.
- She entered the sweepstake online and hoped to win a vacation. (She joined the random prize competition.)
- "sweepstake winner": the person who receives the entire prize pool.
- The sweepstake winner was announced at the end of the race. (The person who took all the money.)
Variants and Related Words
- Sweepstakes (noun, plural): Often used interchangeably with "sweepstake," but can refer to multiple such contests or a single event.
- The sweepstakes offered several prizes to different winners. (Multiple prize competitions.)
- Sweep (verb): to remove or take everything; related to the idea of "sweeping" all stakes.
- He swept the table, winning all the chips. (Took everything in a game.)
Synonyms
- Lottery: a method of raising money by selling tickets and drawing lots for prizes.
- Draw: a competition where winners are selected at random.
- Pool: a collective fund of money from bets, awarded to the winner.
Related Idioms
- "Sweep the board": to win all the prizes or awards in a competition.
- The team swept the board at the science fair, taking first place in every category. (Won everything.)
- "Winner takes all": a situation where the victor receives everything, leaving nothing for others.
- In a sweepstake, it's winner takes all. (The winner gets the entire prize.)