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

Historical accounts of dreidel usage vary: Did the game originate as a means of avoiding persecution for studying the Talmud? —Sam Corbin, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025

Each face of the dreidel instructs a player to add gelt to the pot or take it from the pot. —Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 13 Dec. 2024

At some point someone mentioned a dreidel made of clay … and voilà! —Sam Corbin, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025

The sixth annual event will feature the Menorah lighting, music, hot latkes, dreidels, crafts, gelt and more. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 24 Dec. 2024

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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