Thesaurus results for GAMBLING

gambling

verb

Definition of gambling

present participle of gamble

as in betting

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gambling But a federal judge blocked the prosecution, finding that federal law pre-empts the state’s laws on gambling. — Samantha Elkins, NBC news, 27 July 2026 That tone was echoed by senators at a commerce committee hearing in May, when a bipartisan chorus said those contracts amounted to nothing more than gambling. — Davis Giangiulio,justin Papp, CNBC, 21 July 2026 There are likely fans and members of the public who now believe Harper—who has a footwear and apparel deal with Under Armour and whose jersey is among the top sellers in MLB—urged a gambling addict to keep gambling. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026 The review will look at whether the state needs to regulate the platforms and protect minors from gambling related harm. — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 July 2026 Kalshi, Polymarket, and CFTC chair Michael Selig have countered that these markets are not gambling, but are futures contracts — a distinction that critics say is moot. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 9 July 2026 But here, Mercedes took a leaf out of Red Bull’s book from 2021 and left Russell out — gambling that track position in the snake would become key. — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 7 July 2026 The Sunday Times has reported claims about Farage’s financial relationship with George Cottrell, an aristocratic, crypto-gambling entrepreneur and on-off aide to the Reform UK leader. — ABC News, 6 July 2026 The rise of prediction markets has set off dozens of legal battles pitting the tech companies against state gaming officials, who insist the sites are gambling under a different name. — Bobby Allyn, NPR, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambling

Verb

Stapp, for his part, is betting that the sector's slow shift toward disability inclusion has room to accelerate, provided more funders are willing to follow the lead of the ones already doing the work.

— Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Finally, of course, there are the ambitious optimists, people betting that fresh leadership will shake CNN out of it slumber (and give themselves a high-profile role to help achieve those goals).

— Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026

Definition of betting

Verb

AtaiBeckley is now owned by Eli Lilly, with BPL-003 aimed at TRD; Phase 3 readouts aren't expected until 2029, so Lilly is paying up front for a still-unproven late-stage asset, wagering on class effect from J&J's and Compass's data.

— Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Kalshi does not see itself as a sports betting app, but sports are, by far, the most popular type of wagering on Kalshi, typically accounting for about 80 to 90% of all bets placed on the site.

— Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 July 2026

Definition of wagering

Verb

While at her home, Tate is accused of putting his arm around her neck and placing her in a chokehold without her consent, penetrating her between bouts of unconsciousness over several hours.

— Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026
Tagger’s performance was punctuated by a series of flashing one-handed backhand winners, putting more spotlight on the shot which makes her something of a unicorn on the WTA Tour.

— James Hansen, New York Times, 27 July 2026