gambled; gambling
ˈgam-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to play a game for money or property
b
: to bet on an uncertain outcome
2
: to stake something on a contingency (see contingency sense 1) : take a chance
1
a
: an act having an element of risk
b
: something chancy
2
: the playing of a game of chance for stakes
Synonyms
Examples of gamble in a Sentence
Verb
He's been drinking and gambling heavily.
He would often gamble hundreds of dollars on a hand of poker.
The mayor is gambling with the city's future.
people who lost money gambling in the stock market
The mayor is gambling that the new policies will help rather than hurt the city.
Noun
Starting her own business was a gamble, but it paid off.
She thought about starting her own business, but she decided it was too much of a gamble.
Recent Examples on the Web
Don Sweeney, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Sports Why feds say Shohei Ohtani is a ‘victim’: Interpreter allegedly paid gambling debts pretending to be Dodger
April 12, 2024
No, Ohtani did not gamble on baseball.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As for cheating scandals, if Romans were gambling at the Colosseum, some hustler was probably out there trying to convince a gladiator to throw a fight.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
How did finding out that your dad gambled most of his money away affect you?
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
The renaming was designed as a humorous way to promote the casino as a fun place to stay and gamble.
—Karu F. Daniels, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
School officials are also hesitant to gamble with the risk of children being outdoors during the eclipse without proper supervision.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
With Italy’s European title defence on the line, national team boss Luciano Spalletti has demonstrated a willingness to gamble on younger, unproven players who exemplify humility and courage.
—David Ferrini, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
In 2023, Americans gambled a record $119.84 billion on sports, according to the American Gaming Association’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker.
—Harry Enten, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2024
After four days filled with hours-long pitches to tease blockbuster hopefuls and big gambles, Variety has assessed the studio presentations that may have missed the mark or could just salvage the struggling box office.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Until then, mine was a life that often felt cobbled together from accidents and gambles.
—Iva Dixit, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The gamble paid off for Schneidermann, who became CEO of the firm in 2019.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
The gamble paid off, and now Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are unlikely world champions at ages 40 and 32.
—Holly Yan, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
The thrill of the pastime has always been this gamble: No one knows what’s inside the box.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
But traveling the length of Highway 1 can be a gamble as it is frequently shut down by landslides and cliff erosion that block the highway and strand people — particularly in the Big Sur region.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Many of these scams involve project financing because the victims are desperate for money and are willing to take a crazy gamble out of pure blind hope.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm.
—Don Sweeney, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Sports Why feds say Shohei Ohtani is a ‘victim’: Interpreter allegedly paid gambling debts pretending to be Dodger
April 12, 2024
No, Ohtani did not gamble on baseball.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As for cheating scandals, if Romans were gambling at the Colosseum, some hustler was probably out there trying to convince a gladiator to throw a fight.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
How did finding out that your dad gambled most of his money away affect you?
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
The renaming was designed as a humorous way to promote the casino as a fun place to stay and gamble.
—Karu F. Daniels, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
School officials are also hesitant to gamble with the risk of children being outdoors during the eclipse without proper supervision.
—USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
With Italy’s European title defence on the line, national team boss Luciano Spalletti has demonstrated a willingness to gamble on younger, unproven players who exemplify humility and courage.
—David Ferrini, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
In 2023, Americans gambled a record $119.84 billion on sports, according to the American Gaming Association’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker.
—Harry Enten, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Such steps, which have created many controversies, seem gratuitous at best and risky at worst—needless gambles for a party cruising to victory.
—Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2024
After four days filled with hours-long pitches to tease blockbuster hopefuls and big gambles, Variety has assessed the studio presentations that may have missed the mark or could just salvage the struggling box office.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Until then, mine was a life that often felt cobbled together from accidents and gambles.
—Iva Dixit, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The gamble paid off for Schneidermann, who became CEO of the firm in 2019.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 1 Apr. 2024
The gamble paid off, and now Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are unlikely world champions at ages 40 and 32.
—Holly Yan, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
The thrill of the pastime has always been this gamble: No one knows what’s inside the box.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
But traveling the length of Highway 1 can be a gamble as it is frequently shut down by landslides and cliff erosion that block the highway and strand people — particularly in the Big Sur region.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Many of these scams involve project financing because the victims are desperate for money and are willing to take a crazy gamble out of pure blind hope.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gamble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Gamble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamble. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gamble
2 of 2 noun1
: a risky undertaking
2
: a betting on a game of chance
Legal Definition
gamble
verb
gam·ble
ˈgam-bəl
gambled; gambling
: to risk something of value for the chance of winning a prize
: to risk (something) for the chance of winning a prize
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