wager
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
an agreement or pledge to pay an amount of money as a result of the outcome of an unsettled matter
-
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
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wagerssimple
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have wageredperfect
-
has wageredperfect
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am wageringprogressive
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are wageringprogressive
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is wageringprogressive
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have been wageringperfect progressive
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has been wageringperfect progressive
Past
-
wageredsimple
-
had wageredperfect
-
was wageringprogressive
-
were wageringprogressive
-
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.
The positions are part of a monthslong wager designed to pay off if the hype around artificial intelligence sours.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
She believes investors buying these bonds are taking a wager on AI infrastructure demand through 2056, “across the next six presidential elections and four or five Fed cycles.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
Warsh’s wager is that the cooperative game went wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
In our dire age, a little bit of levity can often feel like a wager, staking your bets on an audience’s bandwidth for fun.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
"Not to Lord Manderly or Leobald Tallhart either, I'd wager."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
