dreidel

noun

drei·​del ˈdrā-dᵊl 

variants or less commonly dreidl

1

: a 4-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top in a game of chance

2

: a children's game of chance played especially at Hanukkah with a dreidel

Illustration of dreidel

• dreidel 1

Did you know?

If your dreidel is spinning beneath the glow of the menorah, it’s probably the Jewish festival of lights known as Hanukkah. The holiday celebrates the miracle of a small amount of oil—enough for one day—burning for eight days in the Temple of Jerusalem. And though it’s a toy, the dreidel’s design is very much an homage: on each of its four sides is inscribed a Hebrew letter—nun, gimel, he, and shin—which together stand for Nes gadol haya sham, meaning “A great miracle happened there.” (In Israel, the letter pe, short for po, “here,” is often used instead of shin). In the game of dreidel, each letter bears its own significance: the dreidel is spun and depending on which letter is on top when it lands, the player’s currency, or gelt, is added to or taken from the pot. Nun means the player does nothing; gimel means the player gets everything; he means the player gets half; and shin means the player adds to the pot. Wherever you land on holiday traditions, we wish you words of gimel: gratitude, grub, and, of course, gaiety.

Examples of dreidel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last holiday season, for example, one caller complained that neighbors had decorated their home for Hanukkah, including yard inflatables depicting a menorah and a dreidel. —Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Dec. 2025

Enjoy a community candle lighting event featuring doughnuts, dreidels, music, latkes, gelt, balloons and more. —Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025

Celebrate Hannukah, play dreidel, make crafts and more. —Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Dec. 2025

But many other traditions like playing the dreidel game, listening or singing to Hanukkah music or cooking latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts) are also ways people love to celebrate. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Yiddish dreydl, from dreyen to turn, from Middle High German drǣjen, from Old High German drāen — more at throw entry 1

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dreidel

• bridal
• bridle
• idle
• idol
• idyll
• seidel
• sidle
• tidal
• widal
• apsidal
• subtidal
• fratricidal

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