beauty contest

noun

|Updated on: 31 Jul 2018

Definition of beauty contest

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

2 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

See beauty contest defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of beauty contest from the Web

Perhaps, but tennis is not a beauty contest, even if beauty can certainly help secure sponsorship.

— christopher clarey, New York Times, "Sometimes in Tennis, One Hand is Still Better Than Two," 30 June 2018
With his interest in pageantry well-known, Gonzalez has been invited to judge 61 beauty contests, including a recent Miss Houston Scholarship Pageant in the Miss America system.

— Houston Chronicle, "Pearland man national pageant," 9 July 2018
The loss threw the Cowboys, who almost certainly would have faced LSU in the BCS title game had they been undefeated, into a beauty contest with one-loss Alabama.

— andy staples, SI.com, "The Chaos and Consequences of the BCS, 20 Years After Its Inaugural Season," 9 July 2018
Just then the Ladies Day beauty contest was about to begin.

— ross kenneth urken, Town & Country, "Meet the Only All-Female Team at Bangkok’s Storied Elephant Polo Tournament," 6 Apr. 2018
Carlson has indicated that changes are in store and has not ruled out eliminating the swimsuit portion of the pageant, which began as a bathing-beauty contest on the Boardwalk.

— amy s. rosenberg, Philly.com, "Miss America Organization gets $4.3 million lifeline," 17 Apr. 2018
Kids are encouraged to immerse themselves in cupcake making, producing treats that may not win any beauty contests but will surely win the hearts of parents.

— scott craven, azcentral, "St. Patrick's Day 2018 events in Phoenix and around Arizona," 13 Mar. 2018
Feinstein's longtime political advisor, Bill Carrick, dismissed the significance of the endorsement vote as a beauty contest among party activists who do not represent the broader California electorate.

— phil willon, latimes.com, "California Democrats snub of party icon Dianne Feinstein could be a speed bump, or a signal," 26 Feb. 2018
Away from the beauty contest, there were camel races, exhibitions, sculptures and stalls selling camel milk and meat.

— richard hall, USA TODAY, "What a camel beauty contest can tell us about the future of Saudi Arabia," 27 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beauty contest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.