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
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to play at any game of chance for money or other stakes.
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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)
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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
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a risky act or venture
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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
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gamblessimple
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have gambledperfect
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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
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has been gamblingperfect progressive
Past
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gambledsimple
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had gambledperfect
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was gamblingprogressive
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were gamblingprogressive
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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:
That more cautious approach to risk can be seen beyond investing, with women more likely to choose certainty when faced with a financial gamble.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Centering strategy on controlling the Strait of Hormuz is an extraordinary gamble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The get-rich-quick desire never goes away, but the gamification of trading, and fees cut to zero, made it easier to gamble on stocks than ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Given that Zidane has spent five years out of management, and the Real Madrid job is the only other senior coaching role of his career, it might seem like a gamble.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“A gamble... how interesting. Information in exchange for the harpy? Winner take all?”
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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
You don’t want to end up like this lost soul, lugging his giant gambles through the hellscape of his own mind:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
And then, on the twenty-ninth move, with the position equal, Fischer engaged in one of the most dangerous gambles of his career.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Bonilla had excelled with the Mets earlier in his career, and they gambled that he could recapture the production of his youth by taking on the last two years and $11.65 million of his contract.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Like many legacy automakers it gambled on motorists making a quick move to EVs - and lost as the world shifted."
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
“At this point, everyone I know knows someone whose husband has gambled away all their money,” political influencer Emily Amick, 41, whose book club feverishly discussed “Strangers.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 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
Ames gambled that as chief of counterintelligence for the Soviet division of the CIA, approaching the KGB couldn't be simpler.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Mr. Bockino tells an interesting story of how the professional leagues evolved from adamant opponents of gambling to full-on opportunists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
"It doesn't always feel like movements are driven by rational reasons - sometimes it still feels a lot like gambling," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Even so, as the line between investing and gambling grows increasingly blurry, it’s understandable that some consumers might get confused.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Critics say it amounts to gambling, regardless of how the markets are set up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we’re just gambling on probabilities.
From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose
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.
