wager

[wey-jer]

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.

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

/ 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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wager¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wager¹

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

Example Sentences

They also wore hidden earpieces, through which they allegedly received instructions on when to wager on card games.

Read more on BBC

I’d wager a wolf would sooner recognize a sheep as one of its own than a grinning pug.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Flores, Sable’s chief executive, wagered that he could patch a leaky pipeline that once caused a disastrous oil spill, ship tens of thousands of barrels of crude to California’s refineries—and earn a windfall.

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He revved up his real-estate activities, working with a young neighbor to place big, long-term wagers, unusual for a nonagenarian.

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Let them wager on a day’s move with short-dated options—Wall Street’s equivalent of scratch-off lottery tickets.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• gamble 
• put up 
• speculate