speculator
Americannoun
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a person who is engaged in commercial or financial speculation.
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a person who makes advance purchases of tickets, as to games or theatrical performances, that are likely to be in demand, for resale later at a higher price.
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a person who is devoted to mental speculation.
noun
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a person who speculates
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rugby an undirected kick of the ball
Etymology
Origin of speculator
1545–55; < Latin speculātor explorer, equivalent to speculā ( rī ) to watch over, explore, reconnoiter ( see speculate) + -tor -tor
Explanation
A speculator is someone who takes a chance on losing a lot of money when there's a prospect of making even more money. A speculator might, for example, invest in a risky stock in the hopes she can sell it eventually at a profit. In a way, everyone who invests in the financial market is a bit of a speculator — the possibility of losing money is always there, as is a chance (and hope) of making money. Gamblers are speculators too, hoping to win big but vulnerable to losing everything on a poker game. Less commonly, a speculator is simply someone who speculates, or guesses without enough information. The financial meaning dates from the 18th century.
Vocabulary lists containing speculator
The Great Depression and The New Deal
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"Grand Canyon Speech"
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The Sound and the Fury
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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.
Speculator William Duer, a friend of Alexander Hamilton, had borrowed too much money and was about to be thrown into debtors’ prison.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
John Buckingham, the editor of the Prudent Speculator, took the latter approach recently when sharing a list of 17 dividend-stock value picks with MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025
Nine blows of the original Granite Mountain whistle sounded Thursday night to break a moment of silence for the lives lost in the 1917 fire at the Granite Mountain and Speculator mines.
From Washington Times • Jun. 9, 2017
To soak up the season, drive to Speculator and follow Route 30 on the remote 24-mile trip to Indian Lake.
From Forbes • Sep. 3, 2014
The Speculator regards the weightiest affair as only a splendid game.
From Twelve Causes of Dishonesty by Beecher, Henry Ward
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.
