wager

American  

[wey-jer] / ˈweɪ dʒər /

noun

1. something risked or staked on an uncertain event; bet.

   to place a wager on a soccer match.

   Synonyms:

   risk, hazard, stake

2. the act of betting.

3. the subject or terms of a bet.

4. Early English Law. a pledge to make good one's cause by the supporting oaths of others or by battle.

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verb (used with object)

1. to risk (something) on the outcome of a contest or any uncertain event or matter; bet.

   Synonyms:

   venture, stake

2. History/Historical. to pledge oneself to (battle) for the decision of a cause.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or offer a wager; bet.

wager British  

/ ˈweɪdʒə /

noun

1. an agreement or pledge to pay an amount of money as a result of the outcome of an unsettled matter

2. an amount staked on the outcome of such a matter or event

3. (in medieval Britain) a pledge to do battle for a cause, esp to decide guilt or innocence by single combat

4. English legal history a form of trial in which the accused offered to make oath of his innocence, supported by the oaths of 11 of his neighbours declaring their belief in his statements

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verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to risk or bet (something) on the outcome of an unsettled matter

2. (tr) history to pledge oneself to (battle)

Other Word Forms

• rewager verb
• superwager noun
• unwagered adjective
• wagerer noun

Etymology

Origin of wager

1275–1325; Middle English wajour, wager solemn pledge < Anglo-French wageure, equivalent to wage ( r ) to pledge ( wage ) + -ure -ure

Example Sentences

If you have money in a broadly based emerging-markets mutual fund or exchange-traded fund, about half your money — yes, really — is being wagered on the stocks of just two countries: China and Taiwan.

From MarketWatch

More than half the value of the total wager was placed the evening before the attack.

From The Wall Street Journal

If the wager involved Shohei Ohtani, the answer from gamblers was yes more often than it was for any other player in any sport last year, according to data from BetMGM.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s an incredibly risky wager because losses on short bets can be infinitely more damaging than with “long” investing.

From MarketWatch

But investors aren’t just wagering on single stocks or rushing into ETFs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• gamble
• put up
• speculate