dreidel

noun

drei·del | \ˈdrā-dᵊl

\

variants: or less commonly dreidl

Definition of dreidel

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

Examples of dreidel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gamble with them in a game of dreidel, serve them to guests at a Hanukkah party or save them all for yourself. — Audrey Gorden, RedEye Chicago, "8 ways to celebrate the 8 nights of Hanukkah," 12 Dec. 2017 There were dancing pieces of gelt and, of course, a spinning dreidel dog. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "Chanukah Gets Its Due on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' With Return of the Chanucorn," 15 Dec. 2017 Celebrate Hanukkah with eight days of edible specials, from chocolate dreidels to menorah cookies. — Usa Today Eats, USA TODAY, "Sweet ways to celebrate Hanukkah," 12 Dec. 2017 Judaism, to me, was spinning a dreidel one week out of the year and eating potato pancakes and mangling the Hanukkah blessing before getting on with the real holiday. — Santi Elijah Holley, Longreads, "Finding My Identity By the Light of My Mother’s Menorah," 13 Dec. 2017 Stuck to the glass were Christmas and Hanukkah decorations made of gummy material: fat Santas twirling around dreidels with snowflakes falling upon colorful boxed gifts. — Leslie Gauthier, New York Times, "Shooing Carolers Away for a Love That Stays," 22 Dec. 2017 First there were holiday sweaters that had Christmas trees, Santa, or dreidels. — Lisa Scottoline, Philly.com, "Happy holidays, and thanks for the mammaries | Lisa Scottoline," 22 Dec. 2017 Spin dreidel for good fun with old friends and new. — Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Last-chance holiday events in Cincinnati," 21 Dec. 2017 On Sunday, after a quick exchange of hellos, the Yildirim children tossed off their coats and immediately ran into a playroom, where Adin, now 10, schooled the others on the rules of a game of dreidel. — Vikki Ortiz Healy, chicagotribune.com, "Nearly a year after O'Hare photo went viral, Jewish and Muslim families form lasting friendship," 18 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dreidel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of dreidel was in 1916

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mawkish

exaggeratedly or childishly emotional

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