- present participle of gamble.
gambling
Americannoun
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the activity or practice of playing at a game of chance for money or other stakes.
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the act or practice of risking the loss of something important by taking a chance or acting recklessly.
If you don't back up your data, that's gambling.
Etymology
Origin of gambling
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.
He and his friends booked flights to the United States before the matches went on sale and are now gambling on finding last-minute resale seats as official prices exceed their budget.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
Most of gambling public is still backing the traditional proven winners to prevail, unlike the projection from Google’s Gemini.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
The vision of a Nevada gambling hub south of Las Vegas along the Interstate 15 Freeway was perhaps done in by SoCal tribal casinos offering shorter drives and similar services.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
He called for politicians globally to act to curtail addictive forms of gambling and prevent consumers being "fleeced" during the World Cup.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Just after Pollard rode Gallant Sir to win the 1934 Agua Caliente Handicap, Mexico banned gambling.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
