beauty contest
noun
1
a
: an assemblage of girls or women at which judges select the most beautiful
called also beauty pageant
b
: a contest or competitive situation that is likened to a traditional beauty contest especially in involving judgments made on the basis of physical attractiveness or popular appeal
… an elite automotive expo and beauty contest where cars of only the highest caliber …—
Hannah Elliott
Hannah Elliott2
US politics
: a presidential primary election in which the popular vote does not determine the number of convention delegates a candidate receives
Mr. Ford and Mr. Reagan are listed in the Republican preferential primary or "beauty contest."—Charles Mohr
Charles MohrExamples of beauty contest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And, maybe more importantly, Miss AI isn’t a beauty contest at heart.
—Chloe Veltman, NPR, 9 June 2024
As was customary with studio contract players, Paige was entered in a series of beauty contests to build publicity.
—Gina Piccalo, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
In the 1850s, beauty contests were publicized by newspapers, according to historians.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 May 2024
There was tug of war and arm wrestling and, at least once, a beauty contest.
—J. David Goodman Desiree Rios, New York Times, 4 May 2024
Her desire to escape dismal Brooklyn, and especially her terrifying, mentally ill mother, Sarah, led her to enter a beauty contest that had been announced in her favorite magazine, Motion Picture.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
According to family lore, my mother had been a short, plain, serious girl who was outshone by her two tall, beautiful, glamorous sisters, both of whom won local beauty contests.
—Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
But while most past beauty contests or even dual systems like the old Texas Two-Step usually had a similar set of candidates on each ballot, Trump and Haley not going head-to-head on any ballot in Nevada has made today's beauty contest distinctly ornamental.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2024
Highlights include an agility course, on-site adoptions and a beauty contest with several hundred exotic cats from across the country.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2024
Chloe Veltman, NPR, 9 June 2024
As was customary with studio contract players, Paige was entered in a series of beauty contests to build publicity.
—Gina Piccalo, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
In the 1850s, beauty contests were publicized by newspapers, according to historians.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 May 2024
There was tug of war and arm wrestling and, at least once, a beauty contest.
—J. David Goodman Desiree Rios, New York Times, 4 May 2024
Her desire to escape dismal Brooklyn, and especially her terrifying, mentally ill mother, Sarah, led her to enter a beauty contest that had been announced in her favorite magazine, Motion Picture.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
According to family lore, my mother had been a short, plain, serious girl who was outshone by her two tall, beautiful, glamorous sisters, both of whom won local beauty contests.
—Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
But while most past beauty contests or even dual systems like the old Texas Two-Step usually had a similar set of candidates on each ballot, Trump and Haley not going head-to-head on any ballot in Nevada has made today's beauty contest distinctly ornamental.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2024
Highlights include an agility course, on-site adoptions and a beauty contest with several hundred exotic cats from across the country.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beauty contest.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near beauty contest
Cite this Entry
“Beauty contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beauty%20contest. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
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