gambling

Definition of gamblingnext
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 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 So does state funding for gambling prevention, education and services — which is often drawn from state tax revenue collected from gambling companies. Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 26 June 2026 Both Kalshi and Polymarket argue that trading on their platforms is distinct from gambling. Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 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
Verb
  • 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
  • On Thursday morning, ABC reported that Gabriel Perez, one of Trump‘s teleprompter operators, won more than $100,000 by wagering on specific words that Trump would use in more than a dozen of the president’s speeches this year.
    Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • Ampersand attempts to address this by putting the compliance logic at the wallet layer rather than the application layer.
    Aaron Stanley, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Discovers her daughter is pregnant with a potential challenger to the throne, putting them in jeopardy.
    Brian Grubb, Vulture, 20 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Gambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambling. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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