wager

[ wey-jer ]
See synonyms for: wagerwagerer on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. something risked or staked on an uncertain event; bet: to place a wager on a soccer match.

  2. the act of betting.

  1. the subject or terms of a bet.

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

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

  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.

Origin of wager

1
1275–1325; Middle English wajour, wager solemn pledge <Anglo-French wageure, equivalent to wage(r) to pledge (see wage) + -ure-ure

Other words for wager

Other words from wager

  • wa·ger·er, noun
  • re·wa·ger, verb, noun
  • su·per·wa·ger, noun
  • un·wa·gered, adjective

Words Nearby wager

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use wager in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wager

wager

/ (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

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

  2. wager of law 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
  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)

Origin of wager

1
C14: from Anglo-French wageure a pledge, from Old Northern French wagier to pledge; see wage

Derived forms of wager

  • wagerer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012