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.
Put aside the broader question of whether predictions markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are simply dressed-up gambling forums that are already illegal under many states’ anti-gaming laws.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
A judge earlier this month rejected Kalshi’s bid to block New York from subjecting it to its gambling laws.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Reductions to tax relief for vape shops and gambling arcades will help to pay for the £100 million a year cost of the measure.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Leigh notes that not every state can take part in Raffall competitions because of different state gambling, lottery and consumer protection laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
It had a large number of fairly well dressed young men hanging around out front, not drinking or gambling, not visibly occupied with anything except paying close attention to passing cars.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
