gambling
Americannoun
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the activity or practice of playing at a game of chance for money or other stakes.
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the act or practice of risking the loss of something important by taking a chance or acting recklessly.
If you don't back up your data, that's gambling.
Etymology
Origin of gambling
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He and his friends booked flights to the United States before the matches went on sale and are now gambling on finding last-minute resale seats as official prices exceed their budget.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
Now, instead of gambling on an outsider, they have turned once again to the safest of safe bets.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
The vision of a Nevada gambling hub south of Las Vegas along the Interstate 15 Freeway was perhaps done in by SoCal tribal casinos offering shorter drives and similar services.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
While they identified a relationship between food insufficiency and sports gambling, they noted that direct causation for such a large issue is difficult to establish.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
According to my father, Dusty Muleman’s dream was to open a gambling boat that never left the calm and safety of its harbor.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
