Dictionary

winner-take-all en · ADJ

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Of or pertaining to a contest, election, or other competition in which only the winner is rewarded and none of the losers receive anything.
   • [S]he volunteers to take her sister's place at the annual "Hunger Games", a bloody winner-take-all competition in which 24 teens fight to the death. 2012 March 13, Silas Lesnick, “Interview: The Hunger Games’ Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson”, in ComingSoon.net, retrieved 20 May 2014:
   • Under winner-take-all elections, many minority candidates find it nearly impossible to win. 2000 January 3, Kathleen L. Barber, “Letters: Diversity on the Ballot”, in New York Times, retrieved 20 May 2014:
   • You need luck in poker tournaments, because in the nature of this winner-take-all style of play, there will be several occasions when you cannot avoid putting all your money in the pot. 1993 December 7, David Spanier, “Poker: Winner takes all”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 20 May 2014:
2. (not-comparable) Of a market in which a product or service that is only slightly better than its competitors receives a disproportionately large share of revenue.
3. (not-comparable) Of a neural network model: organized so that neurons in a layer compete with each other for activation.

Forms

Relateds

to the victor go the spoils · the winner takes it all

Translations (7)

he המנצח זוכה בכול (pertaining to a contest in which only the winner is rewarded) · fr tout-va-au-vainqueur (pertaining to a contest in which only the winner is rewarded) · fi kaikki tai ei mitään (pertaining to a contest in which only the winner is rewarded) · cmn 贏者通吃 /赢者通吃 (pertaining to a contest in which only the winner is rewarded) · fi voittaja vie koko potin (pertaining to a contest in which only the winner is rewarded) · pl taki, w jakim zwycięzca bierze wszystko (pertaining to a contest in which only the winner is rewarded) · he המנצח זוכה בכל הקופה (pertaining to a contest in which only the winner is rewarded)