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.
Cole took the opposite position, one he didn’t see as a gamble at all.
Still, the proliferation of funds that look more like a gamble than a diversified investment are drawing scrutiny from traditional players in the industry.
His mother, Adaina Brown, a public school assistant superintendent in the Los Angeles area, said she called it a “gamble,” but it was one that paid off.
The rules note: “Marriage they say is a gamble, one thing very certain is that money plays an important part.”
At the same time, retailers are increasingly reluctant to gamble on products that aren’t tied to a well-known story or franchise.
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.
