as in to expand
to use or develop (something) to get something else that has greater value
He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 parlay
Pressly did, too, parlaying the success as an Astro into a place within franchise lore.
—
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
First rising to fame as a teenager on now-defunct video app Vine, Paul has parlayed internet fame into a sprawling business empire—in part by relentlessly turning personal interests into commercial ventures.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
Former offensive assistants Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals), Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings) and Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars) parlayed their experience working under McVay into NFL head coach jobs.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Brown parlayed that success into a strong showing at North Dakota State in his first collegiate stop.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for parlay
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
First rising to fame as a teenager on now-defunct video app Vine, Paul has parlayed internet fame into a sprawling business empire—in part by relentlessly turning personal interests into commercial ventures.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
Former offensive assistants Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals), Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings) and Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars) parlayed their experience working under McVay into NFL head coach jobs.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Brown parlayed that success into a strong showing at North Dakota State in his first collegiate stop.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for parlay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlay
Verb
-
Jennie headlined Coachella as a solo artist while expanding her fashion ventures.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In recent years, auction houses have expanded their categories as luxury goods and collectibles have helped buoy their sales.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell to the lowest since March 2022 on Tuesday, extending declines from earlier this week.—
Marcus Wong,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
-
How long the learning process takes with Hurzeler, and whether the inevitable bumps along the way extend to lasting and meaningful decline, will define his longevity.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The race to commercialize perovskite technology has accelerated rapidly in recent years.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The transfer portal, which opened Friday, allows programs to accelerate the rebuilding process and replace departing players — more than 20 in Florida’s case.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Servite first-year coach Matt Kanne said Saturday’s game against Los Alamitos was an opportunity to boost the team’s confidence.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
25 Jan. 2026
-
For personalized experiences, AI is tailoring content, product recommendations, and services to individual customers based on their data and behavior, boosting engagement and sales.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Winds will also increase, especially at the coast, gusting between 25- 35 mph at times.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Future Amazon Leo satellites are expected to orbit at lower altitudes of around 366 miles (590 km), which will further increase their brightness.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Manus started developing its agentic AI tools — for tasks such as market research and data analysis — as a start-up in China, before relocating to Singapore.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The Waffle House Index is an informal measure developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to gauge how a region is responding to a disaster.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This innovative approach not only speeds the design process but also frees up designers to focus on more creative tasks, demonstrating how AI can be used as a tool to augment human creativity rather than replace it.—
Li Jun,
Footwear News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Powell levels could be augmented by Upper Basin contributions to protect infrastructure.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Honda has also generated a lot of buzz with its new CB1000F homage (below) to the beloved CB750F from the 1980s, and many of Harley-Davidson’s models carry on the looks and stance of models stretching back to the 1950s.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Frigid Arctic air moves back in There’s also a chance for light snow in a narrow band stretching from eastern Nebraska through southwest Iowa and possibly into northern Missouri.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlay. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
