gamble
Americanverb (used without object)
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gambles,
present (3rd person singular)
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gambled,
past participle, past
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gambling
present participle
-
to play at any game of chance for money or other stakes.
-
to stake or risk money, or anything of value, on the outcome of something involving chance.
to gamble on a toss of the dice.
verb (used with object)
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gambles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gambled,
past participle, past
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gambling
present participle
-
to lose or squander by betting (usually followed byaway ).
He gambled all his hard-earned money away in one night.
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to wager or risk (money or something else of value).
to gamble one's freedom.
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to take a chance on; venture; risk.
I'm gambling that our new store will be a success.
noun
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gambles
plural
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any matter or thing involving risk or hazardous uncertainty.
- Synonyms:
- flier, speculation, hazard, venture
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a venture in a game of chance for stakes, especially for high stakes.
verb
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(intr) to play games of chance to win money
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to risk or bet (money) on the outcome of an event, sport, etc
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to act with the expectation of
to gamble on its being a sunny day
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(often foll by away) to lose by or as if by betting; squander
noun
-
a risky act or venture
-
a bet, wager, or other risk or chance taken for possible monetary gain
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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gamblernoun
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gamblingnoun
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nongamblernoun
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regambleverb
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outgambleverb (used with object)
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overgambleverb (used with object)
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antigamblingadjective
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progamblingadjective
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ungambledadjective
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ungamblingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gamblesimple
-
gamblessimple
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have gambledperfect
-
has gambledperfect
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am gamblingprogressive
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are gamblingprogressive
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is gamblingprogressive
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have been gamblingperfect progressive
-
has been gamblingperfect progressive
Past
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gambledsimple
-
had gambledperfect
-
was gamblingprogressive
-
were gamblingprogressive
-
had been gamblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gamble
1150–1200; Middle English gamenen to play ( Old English gamenian ), with substitution of -le for -en; see game 1
Explanation
When you gamble, you take a risky chance on something. When an entrepreneur invests her own money in her business, she gambles on its success. If you approach a stray dog, you gamble on its friendliness, and if you turn down a high-paying job to take a more interesting position, you gamble on it eventually paying off. Another way to gamble is to buy a lottery ticket or place a bet on a poker hand: when you gamble like this, you play a game of chance, risking some amount of money. Gamble is from Old English gammlen, "to play, jest, or be merry."
Vocabulary lists containing gamble
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.
See Examples For:
"Seeing the condition of the recently burned lands... we didn't dare to gamble and assume he'll survive."
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
From a £9m prospect to a £1m gamble and eventually a £117m Chelsea signing, his story is a reminder that some of the best footballers need to overcome setbacks from a young age.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
They saw the ARM as a necessary gamble, the couple told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Mazariegos said the expansion is a massive gamble and wishes more thought had been put into the decision.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“He laugh and say, ‘Don’t worry, ain’t no gamble the way I play cards.’
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
If those gambles pay off, the clients make it big and the managers pocket 20% of the gains.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Here, Holland’s Telemachus gambles Athena is hiding inside half the people he meets until his father chides, “Don’t look for gods in men, you’ll just be disappointed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Having just raised $122 billion in new funds at a valuation of $852 billion, OpenAI can probably afford a few speculative gambles.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Traders report minimal foot traffic, and investors appear hesitant, delaying major moves that now look more like gambles than strategic decisions.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
They, too, were gambles, rolls of the dice.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
He saw both right-handers shape to reverse sweep, gambled and clung on at close range.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
At trial, Goldstein gambled on himself by taking the stand to testify.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
From the messy set of ‘Apocalypse Now’ to the secret edits of ‘Star Wars,’ author Paul Fischer pulls back the curtain on how Coppola, Lucas and Spielberg gambled their friendships to build the modern blockbuster.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
That means Disney and ABC either chose to disregard its existence, or gambled – correctly, it turns out – that the public wouldn’t bother to look too deeply into what happened.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
The people on the short side of the subprime mortgage market had gambled with the odds in their favor.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
A top chipmaker’s chief executive likened some AI investors’ behavior to gambling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Tech firms took a hammering on Tuesday amid concerns about China's progress in developing AI chips and following comments by Broadcom's boss likening the AI buying frenzy to gambling.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“People are actually trying to wedge gambling into every corner of the financial market right now,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
Lan said the sentence showed that unlicensed gambling was not a "victimless offence" and warned those who profit from it while ignoring safeguards designed to protect people "can expect to be brought before the courts".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Did Kaz think he was going to bolt straight to the nearest gambling hall?
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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