parlay

verb par·lay \ ˈpär-ˌlā , -lē \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of parlay

transitive verb

1 : to bet in a parlay

2 a : to exploit successfully

He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship.

b : to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value

She parlayed $5,000 and years of hard work into a multimillion-dollar company.

See parlay defined for English-language learners

See parlay defined for kids

parlay was our Word of the Day on 07/17/2016. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of parlay from the Web

More than a decade later, the Bennetts have parlayed their talents into a fan favorite show that focuses on flipping some seriously scary properties into tranquil desert oases.

— sophie dodd, PEOPLE.com, "The Next Chip and Jo? HGTV's Desert Flippers Put Family Over Fame and Stay Grounded in Faith," 10 July 2018
Nearly a quarter-century has passed since the Milanese media mogul first parlayed his attacks on Italy’s establishment into a first election triumph.

— eric sylvers, WSJ, "Berlusconi, Italy’s Original Populist, Fades From Popularity," 4 July 2018
The back half of the contract may not look great, but if Houston can parlay Paul’s presence into a Finals trip, the contract will have been worth it.

— rohan nadkarni, SI.com, "Grades: Chris Paul Signs Massive Four-Year Max Deal to Return to Rockets," 1 July 2018
Image In his years in public education, Alain E. Kaloyeros was one of New York’s biggest success stories, parlaying his expertise in nanotechnology to become one of the state’s most powerful and highest-paid employees.

— benjamin weiser, New York Times, "Behind the ‘Buffalo Billion,’ a Bid-Rigging Scheme Emerges," 18 June 2018
Indiana Pacers - Donte DiVincenzo Villanova • Guard • Sophomore Height: 6-5 • Weight: 200 DiVincenzo parlayed his strong Final Four and draft combine showing into a likely first-round pick.

— michael singer, USA TODAY, "2018 NBA mock draft 3.0: Michael Porter Jr. vaults up board; Cavs nab Trae Young," 15 June 2018
Sure, the Browns are the Browns, but the depth chart has been vastly improved to the point where Foles would have a good chance of playing well and parlaying his performance into a long-term deal with another team.

— steven ruiz, For The Win, "Nick Foles denies turning down a trade to the Browns: 'It didn't happen'," 29 May 2018
Reality stars make far less than established TV figures (such as Judge Judy, who earns $47 million per year), but often parlay that screen time to other projects (including White House positions) or speaking engagements.

— chris morris, Fortune, "How Much Contestants on 'Survivor' and Other Reality Shows Earn," 16 May 2018
But if the Pistons parlay their 2.5 percent chance at landing a top-3 pick, Free Press sports writer Vince Ellis takes a quick at the top 10 Pistons fits: F Luka Doncic Age: 19.

— vince ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons' best NBA draft fits — if lottery luck strikes," 14 May 2018

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

Did You Know?

If you're the gambling type, you may already know that parlay can also be used as a noun describing a series of bets in which a person places a bet, then puts the original stake of money and all of its winnings on new wagers. But you might not know that parlay represents a modified spelling of the French name for such bets: paroli. You might also be unaware that the original French word is still occasionally used in English with the same meaning as the noun parlay. Be careful not to mix up parlay with the similar word parley, meaning "to discuss terms with an enemy." Although the spellings are very close, parley comes from the Latin word for "speech."

Origin and Etymology of parlay

French paroli, noun, parlay, from Italian dialect, plural of parolo, perhaps from paro equal, from Latin par

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1828

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Game Terms

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

parlay

noun

Definition of parlay

: a series of two or more bets so set up in advance that the original stake plus its winnings are risked on the successive wagers; broadly : the fresh risking of an original stake together with its winnings