gambling

noun

gam·​bling ˈgam-b(ə-)liŋ 

: the practice or activity of betting : the practice of risking money or other stakes in a game or bet

illegal gambling

compulsive gambling

Then, within the past 18 months, after the explosion in Internet gambling … and the cable TV debut of the World Poker Tour, the game took off again.

—Walter Kirn

—often used before another noun

a gambling game

gambling regulations

a gambling empire

Examples of gambling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Authorities in neighboring Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, also downgraded the typhoon signal to 8 from 10, warning of flooding in its inner harbor area and urging residents to stay safe, public broadcaster TDM said. —CNN Money, 20 July 2025

Financial Hit to Nevada Efforts in the Senate, led by Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, sought unanimous consent to restore the full deduction for gambling losses. —Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 July 2025

Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. —Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 16 July 2025

The Fireman’s Fair, a week-long event held on the grounds of Stimson Middle School, features nearly two dozen rides, games, food trucks, gambling, fireworks and other attractions. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gambling

• anti-gambling

Rhymes for gambling

• ambling
• scrambling
• shambling