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.
Traders who once bet on cryptocurrencies have not stopped gambling on the next big market story — they just are not finding that story in crypto itself.
From MarketWatch • 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
While most U.S. professional sports leagues have embraced sports gambling, some have been more reluctant when it comes to prediction markets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Options, meanwhile, are expected to be tradable by June 16, an event that should whip stock trading into a frenzy of gambling.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
In the behavior category, she’s definitely cheery— Jeff, I owe you a dollar, you gambling shark.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
