gamble
Americanverb (used without object)
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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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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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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
- antigambling adjective
- gambler noun
- gambling noun
- nongambler noun
- outgamble verb (used with object)
- overgamble verb (used with object)
- progambling adjective
- regamble verb
- ungambled adjective
- ungambling adjective
Etymology
Origin of gamble
1150–1200; Middle English gamenen to play ( Old English gamenian ), with substitution of -le for -en; game 1
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.
The pressure is now on CEO Vinai Venkatesham - previously at Arsenal - sporting director Johan Lange, and the Lewis family, who are over-seeing affairs, as the gamble of Tudor's appointment continues to backfire.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
"We took a really big gamble," said Brenner, now a postdoc at Yale.
From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026
Not only does the Ellisons’ gamble look less sturdy, but so do their sources of backup.
From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026
It’s obviously a gamble, given that we don’t know if you will survive your wife or if she will outlive you.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
The rest must have been spectators, bettors who came to gamble on the outcome of the fight.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
