wager
Americannoun
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wagers
plural
verb (used with object)
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wagers,
present (3rd person singular)
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wagered,
past participle, past
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wagering
present participle
verb (used without object)
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wagers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wagered,
past participle, past
-
wagering
present participle
noun
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an agreement or pledge to pay an amount of money as a result of the outcome of an unsettled matter
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an amount staked on the outcome of such a matter or event
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(in medieval Britain) a pledge to do battle for a cause, esp to decide guilt or innocence by single combat
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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
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to risk or bet (something) on the outcome of an unsettled matter
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(tr) history to pledge oneself to (battle)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wagersimple
-
wagerssimple
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have wageredperfect
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has wageredperfect
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am wageringprogressive
-
are wageringprogressive
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is wageringprogressive
-
have been wageringperfect progressive
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has been wageringperfect progressive
Past
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wageredsimple
-
had wageredperfect
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was wageringprogressive
-
were wageringprogressive
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had been wageringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wager
1275–1325; Middle English wajour, wager solemn pledge < Anglo-French wageure, equivalent to wage ( r ) to pledge ( see wage) + -ure -ure
Explanation
To wager is to bet: you might say to your fellow train passengers, "I'll wager ten dollars that we won't get to Chicago on time." You can use the word wager as either a noun or a verb, to mean "place a bet" or "the amount of money being risked in a bet." So you could offer a wager at the poker table, or ask if anyone wants to wager on Monday's football game. Either way you use it, wager is a Middle English word that comes from the Old North French wage, "to pledge."
Vocabulary lists containing wager
Out of the Dust
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Stand in "Solidarity": 30 Words to Remind us English is at Least 30 Percent French
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A Night Divided
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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.
See Examples For:
Since gambling became the national pastime, you can wager on anything.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
I’d wager that, in a week, “Don’t Say Good Luck” will be a distant memory.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
The disciplinary moves come at a moment when prediction markets – which allow users to wager on outcomes ranging from elections to economic indicators – are facing heightened scrutiny.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Also known as a bear steepener, it’s a wager that investors will ultimately demand higher yields on longer-term bonds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
“I would wager that this young lady has quite a story to tell,” Grandpa said.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Only making wagers from a designated fund means you can play knowing you could lose 100% of your wager and still be OK, because you’ve covered your bases first.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Interviews with more than a dozen young investors and data on their holdings show varying approaches, ranging from market-tracking exchange-traded funds and retirement accounts to individual stocks and more speculative wagers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Prediction markets could drive $35 billion in wagers, on par with the traditional sports betting industry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Nine accounts on the platform Polymarket made millions on U.S. military actions in Iran, winning nearly all of their 80 wagers on U.S. strikes and ceasefire negotiations.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Then Lavinia spat sideways, and with a little discontented grumbling, the bettors began refunding their wagers, returning bags of coins, counting gold mai and silver angs in their palms.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Almost $24 million was wagered on the winning “Love Island” couple on Kalshi, as the Los Angeles Times reported.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Delaware County, Pa., in suburban Philadelphia, already has taken such a step — adding prediction markets to an oath poll workers already were required to sign affirming that they have not wagered on the election.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The largest such platform, Kalshi, told AFP that $29 million have been wagered on SpaceX-related questions, from Musk's net worth at end-2026 to the possibility of a Mars landing before 2030.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Parsons, whose film is a feature-length adaptation of his liminal horror YouTube series by the same name, is simply too young, commenters have wagered.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
Abigail had wagered her reputation, her job, and perhaps her overall career on a hunch.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Officers also established that the pair profited from the games by taking a commission from each poker hand, known within the industry as "the rake", rather than by directly wagering against players.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The two countries have been twin pillars of the economic, geostrategic alliance called the West, and the White House is wagering their interdependencies will drag Canada back to the negotiating table, concessions in hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Nadig acknowledged the opinion of some that online wagering is simply entertainment that people pay for.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
And many Americans are wagering on what might happen — users have traded nearly $200 million on the midterm elections so far, a July analysis by NBC News found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
By the time I hear about it, the outcome of said events is already the source of furious wagering in the back end.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
