as in bet
to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event
a foolish man who gambled his life savings on the lottery
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gambled
The scale of underage wagering is hard to measure, but a recent survey of 1,017 adolescent boys nationwide, found 36% gambled in the last year.
—
Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Cherfilus-McCormick, who holds a law degree but is not a practicing lawyer, gambled — and lost.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
Six months prior, Shane had never gambled a penny.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
The 2024 Boise High graduate gambled with her Olympic chances this year, skipping the fall World Cup calendar while serving as a starting defender on the Stanford women’s soccer team that reached the NCAA national title game.
—Idaho Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
In 2014, MacNeil gambled $4 million on the company’s first Super Bowl ad.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Chelsea gambled on Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli, who were simply senior players at that point.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Nearly seven years ago, Craig Thran gambled $2,000 on hemp.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 20 Nov. 2025
Landing a full-time position is a dream come true for many NPS lifers—and not something to be gambled with.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 23 Oct. 2025
Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
Cherfilus-McCormick, who holds a law degree but is not a practicing lawyer, gambled — and lost.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
Six months prior, Shane had never gambled a penny.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
The 2024 Boise High graduate gambled with her Olympic chances this year, skipping the fall World Cup calendar while serving as a starting defender on the Stanford women’s soccer team that reached the NCAA national title game.
—Idaho Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
In 2014, MacNeil gambled $4 million on the company’s first Super Bowl ad.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Chelsea gambled on Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli, who were simply senior players at that point.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Nearly seven years ago, Craig Thran gambled $2,000 on hemp.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 20 Nov. 2025
Landing a full-time position is a dream come true for many NPS lifers—and not something to be gambled with.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambled
Verb
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Silver also admitted the overwhelming size of this task, given that roughly 80 countries allow betting on the NBA while billions more are wagered illegally.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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Going into a potential big-screen crossover, Disney and 20th Century Studios could decide to bet big on the biggest space horror showdown ever.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mountbatten-Windsor put his arm around Giuffre with Maxwell standing close, smiling.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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But the table is so congested that putting any kind of winning run together could make a real difference while the teams above them are distracted by European commitments.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Silver also admitted the overwhelming size of this task, given that roughly 80 countries allow betting on the NBA while billions more are wagered illegally.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Silver also acknowledged the overwhelming size of this task, given that roughly 80 countries allow betting on the NBA while billions more are wagered illegally.—
Greg Beacham,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Every one of the NFL’s 32 teams has played a regular-season game outside the United States and is signed up to the league’s Global Markets Program.—
Tom Chitty,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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Savolainen played a huge role in Finland’s historic run in the 2019 hockey women’s world championship, in which the country made it to the final against the United States who, along with Canada, had previously dominated the competition and its gold medal matches.—
Hannah Ryan,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambled. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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