roulette

American  

[roo-let] / ruˈlɛt /

noun

1. a game of chance played at a table marked off with numbers from 1 to 36, one or two zeros, and several other sections affording the players a variety of betting opportunities, and having in the center a revolving, dishlike device roulettewheel into which a small ball is spun to come to rest finally in one of the 37 or 38 compartments, indicating the winning number and its characteristics, as odd or even, red or black, and between 1 and 18 or 19 and 36.

2. a small wheel, especially one with sharp teeth, mounted in a handle, for making lines of marks, dots, or perforations.

   engravers' roulettes; a roulette for perforating sheets of postage stamps.

3. Philately. a row of short cuts, in which no paper is removed, made between individual stamps to permit their ready separation.

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verb (used with object)

rouletted, rouletting

1. to mark, impress, or perforate with a roulette.

roulette British  

/ ruːˈlɛt /

noun

1. a gambling game in which a ball is dropped onto a spinning horizontal wheel divided into 37 or 38 coloured and numbered slots, with players betting on the slot into which the ball will fall

2. 1. a toothed wheel for making a line of perforations

   2. a tiny slit made by such a wheel on a sheet of stamps as an aid to tearing it apart

3. a curve generated by a point on one curve rolling on another

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verb

1. to use a roulette on (something), as in engraving, making stationery, etc

Etymology

Origin of roulette

1725–35; < French, diminutive of rouelle wheel. See rowel

Example Sentences

"Even if a convoy is 90% effective, which ship owners and crew unions are prepared to play Russian roulette in one of them?" said Clarke.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Named the Magnavox Odyssey, the console setup included translucent overlays that players stuck on the TV screen to create colorful game boards, such as table tennis, roulette and haunted house.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

The existence of these suburban families is known, as is the slippery hope one will never cross paths with them in this ever-spinning round of American roulette.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

Under the same example, the roulette player would have to report $10,000 of income.

From Barron's • Dec. 27, 2025

It was also an asymmetric bet, like laying down money on a number in roulette.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• poker