gamble

verb gam·ble \ ˈgam-bəl \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: gamble in a Sentence

Definition of gamble

gambled; gambling play \ˈgam-b(ə-)liŋ\

intransitive verb

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 1) : take a chance

transitive verb

1 : to risk by gambling : wager

2 : venture, hazard

—

gambler

play \ˈgam-blər\ noun

See gamble defined for English-language learners

See gamble defined for kids

Examples of gamble in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of gamble from the Web

Arkansas, for example, stopped spending state money on problem gambling in 2015, redirecting the $200,000, which came from the state lottery, to scholarships.

— marsha mercer, The Christian Science Monitor, "As sports betting expands, gambling addiction services fall behind," 18 May 2018
With the Monday ruling, sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL called for federal regulation on sports gambling with hopes of keeping the integrity of games intact.

— safid deen, OrlandoSentinel.com, "ACC in favor of education for players, officials before states legalize sports betting," 17 May 2018
Delaware had paved the way for legal sports gambling through a state law passed in 2009.

— steve gardner, USA TODAY, "Delaware preparing to launch 'full-scale' sports betting in June," 17 May 2018
The court’s ruling effectively allowing all states to legalize sports gambling promises to juice revenues, engage a new audience and make individual teams a lot more valuable.

— andrew brandt, SI.com, "The Supreme Court Just Made the NFL a Lot Richer. So Why the Fight?," 15 May 2018
Will all states suddenly make sports gambling legal?

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "Sports gambling Q&A: What the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling means," 15 May 2018
Mississippi's law confines sports gambling to casinos.

— bob warren, NOLA.com, "Mississippi coast casinos fast track sports betting in light of U.S. Supreme Court ruling," 15 May 2018
In a ruling that means sports betting will be opening within weeks in New Jersey and perhaps months in Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court overturned a federal law that had banned sports gambling outside of Nevada.

— justine mcdaniel, Philly.com, "Sports betting now legal; ban struck down as N.J. wins Supreme Court case," 14 May 2018
Jimmy Carter drank rarely, never gambled and was a loquacious Baptist eager to share being born again.

— matthew cooper, Newsweek, "How the Presidential Candidates Found Their Faith," 2 Apr. 2015

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

Origin and Etymology of gamble

probably back-formation from gambler, perhaps alteration (by dissimilation, or substitution of the frequentative suffix -le) of early Modern English gamner "player in a game," from gamen "to play" (going back to Middle English gamenen, going back to Old English gamenian, derivative of gamen ¹game) + -er ²-er

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1757

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

gamble Synonyms

Synonyms

bet, go, lay, play, put, stake, wager;

Related Words

bid, offer;

adventure, chance, hazard, speculate, venture;

endanger, imperil, jeopardize;

gamble

noun

Definition of gamble

1 a : an act having an element of risk

b : something chancy

2 : the playing of a game of chance for stakes

See gamble defined for English-language learners

Examples of gamble in a Sentence

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 of gamble from the Web

For Seattle, a bike share program was a gamble from the start.

— mark harris, WIRED, "The Bike Share War Is Shaking Up Seattle Like Nowhere Else," 14 June 2018
Of course, sponsoring outsized personalities is always a gamble.

— rob weinberg, Pomerado News, "Racism, vulgarity and bottom lines," 7 June 2018
After President Donald Trump's big gamble to pull the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, the focus now shifts to Tehran, the Iranian people and America's allies.

— thomas gryta, WSJ, "GE Pulls Back From Work in Iran," 31 May 2018
Perhaps a slot machine is the perfect metaphor since love is a gamble.

— mark gray, PEOPLE.com, "Nick Viall & Ex Vanessa Grimaldi Are on 'Great Terms' But 'Don't Actively Keep in Touch'," 21 May 2018
Probably more of a gamble, but potentially more of a prize.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "For Charlotte Hornets, is point guard depth a burning draft need? | Charlotte Observer," 18 May 2018
The move to rely on businesses for lunar landings is something of a gamble.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Private Companies Took Over Rocket Launches. Can They Do the Same For Moon Landers?," 1 May 2018
But the type of procedure Cardi B underwent is another kind of gamble altogether.

— carolyn l. todd, SELF, "Cardi B’s Butt Injection Story Is a Reminder of How Dangerous Illegal Cosmetic Surgery Can Be," 13 Apr. 2018
Unlikeability in characters, particularly female characters, is such a gamble.

— denise davidson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Spring arts 2018: Meet author Julia Dixon Evans," 25 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of gamble

noun derivative of ¹gamble

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1823

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

gamble Synonyms

Other Game Terms

bezique, carom, convention, crap, euchre, gambit, monte, parlay, tierce

GAMBLE Defined for English Language Learners

gamble

verb

Definition of gamble for English Language Learners

: to play a game in which you can win or lose money or possessions : to bet money or other valuable things
: to risk losing (an amount of money) in a game or bet
: to risk losing (something valuable or important) in order to do or achieve something

gamble

noun

Definition of gamble for English Language Learners

: something that could produce a desired result or a bad or unpleasant result

GAMBLE Defined for Kids

gamble

verb gam·ble \ ˈgam-bəl \

Definition of gamble for Students

gambled; gambling

1 : to play a game in which something (as money) can be won or lost : bet

2 : to take a chance

I gambled on not being seen.

—

gambler

\ˈgam-blər\ noun

gamble

noun

Definition of gamble for Students

: something that could produce a good or bad result : risk Starting a business can be a gamble.

Law Dictionary

gamble

verb gam·ble \ ˈgam-bəl \

legal Definition of gamble

gambled; gambling

intransitive verb

: to risk something of value for the chance of winning a prize

transitive verb

: to risk (something) for the chance of winning a prize

—

gambler

play \-blər\ noun

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gamble

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gamble

Definition of gamble

Examples of gamble in a Sentence

Recent Examples of gamble from the Web

Origin and Etymology of gamble

gamble Synonyms

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GAMBLE Defined for English Language Learners

gamble

Definition of gamble for English Language Learners

gamble

Definition of gamble for English Language Learners

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