as in bet
to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event
a foolish man who gambled his life savings on the lottery
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Recent Examples of gambled
His father gambled in Monte Carlo and drove a Lamborghini Countach well into his 70s.
—
Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambled
Verb
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The race to find what’s next Meta, Google and Samsung are all betting big on smart glasses that use AI to analyze and answer questions about a wearer’s surroundings.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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Unlike Polymarket, Kalshi does not appear to have allowed a market for betting on when or if the US would launch another military strike on Iran.—
Terrence O'Brien,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The lobbyist helped secure Downtown Plaza as the site for the new Kings arena, putting together a deal with real estate developers to purchase the site and later sell it for a significant profit.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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That idea was put forth way back in 1929 by Fritz Zwicky, the same Fritz Zwicky who coined the term supernova and was the first to theorize the existence of dark matter.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Former New Haven police Chief Karl Jacobson allegedly wagered more than $4 million on sports betting apps over the course of a year, losing nearly $215,000, according to the arrest warrant affidavit accusing him of embezzling police department funds.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
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During the speech the judge keeps count of how often the wagered upon action occurs.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Palisades won its first boys’ basketball title since 1969 after the program played 388 consecutive days without its own gymnasium because of last year’s fire.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
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Lewis played linebacker at Tennessee before signing with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and appearing in the preseason.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambled. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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