gamble
Americanverb (used without object)
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gambles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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
-
gambling
present participle
-
to lose or squander by betting (usually followed byaway ).
He gambled all his hard-earned money away in one night.
-
to wager or risk (money or something else of value).
to gamble one's freedom.
-
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
-
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
-
to risk or bet (money) on the outcome of an event, sport, etc
-
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
-
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:
Attacks on Iran’s infrastructure would be a giant gamble with the world economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Any chance that he could still deliver on his potential made him a worthwhile gamble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Four years later, the gamble paid off in a big way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
It was a gamble that backfired and, after two bruising defeats, he may benefit from some time away.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
“But what I was going to say is that the vet took a gamble with Klawde today, and he lost. You did warn him.”
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
And how many people lost their shirts making similar gambles?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Perhaps freed by having lifted the trophy, we have seen the Spaniard take more gambles in personnel and tactics.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
On the day Arsenal appointed Mikel Arteta, back in 2019, the London club was taking one of its boldest gambles in more than a century of history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 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
A smaller group used credit default swaps to make what often turned out to be spectacularly disastrous gambles on the relative value of subprime mortgage bonds—buying one subprime mortgage bond while simultaneously selling another.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
That is also true among people who went to Las Vegas and gambled their savings on a spin of the wheel, and those who bought lottery tickets.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
When he gambled with a risky ball and failed to find a target, there was another uprising.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
A hot Silicon Valley tech player on the cusp of going public, a payday for all of those who gambled on its once unlikely success that somehow became obvious…and then trouble.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 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
He gambled for support and I gave it to him.
From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose
The system prevents people who register with it from accessing gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
The company has argued that its activities are not gambling but something closer to market trading that lets people trade on yes-or-no questions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Healey announced modest new support for less wealthy households facing higher energy bills, and raised taxes on banks and gambling firms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Giancarlo: Traditional gambling, which is well policed by state authorities, involves a booking.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
The scraps of paper in Lefty’s pockets now recorded not gambling debts but forwarding addresses in Athens or Astoria.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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