speculator
Americannoun
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a person who is engaged in commercial or financial speculation.
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a person who makes advance purchases of tickets, as to games or theatrical performances, that are likely to be in demand, for resale later at a higher price.
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a person who is devoted to mental speculation.
noun
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a person who speculates
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rugby an undirected kick of the ball
Etymology
Origin of speculator
1545–55; < Latin speculātor explorer, equivalent to speculā ( rī ) to watch over, explore, reconnoiter ( see speculate) + -tor -tor
Explanation
A speculator is someone who takes a chance on losing a lot of money when there's a prospect of making even more money. A speculator might, for example, invest in a risky stock in the hopes she can sell it eventually at a profit. In a way, everyone who invests in the financial market is a bit of a speculator — the possibility of losing money is always there, as is a chance (and hope) of making money. Gamblers are speculators too, hoping to win big but vulnerable to losing everything on a poker game. Less commonly, a speculator is simply someone who speculates, or guesses without enough information. The financial meaning dates from the 18th century.
Vocabulary lists containing speculator
The Great Depression and The New Deal
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"Grand Canyon Speech"
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The Sound and the Fury
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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.
Commitment of traders data for the week ended July 28 showed an increase in speculator short positions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Duer was also an inveterate speculator and get-rich-quick schemer: “king of the alley,” as Thomas Jefferson derisively referred External link to Wall Street.
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
Bolling nodded his approval as he claimed that the onetime crypto hater Trump was the reason he’s now a true believer, not just a speculator.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2025
Next came Highway 80 and speculator Bert Vaughn, who built a four-story hotel, bathhouse and a desert view tower to lure San Diego-Arizona drivers off the road.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024
Duer was the epitome of the enterprising speculator whom he trusted and who ultimately proved untrustworthy.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
