as in expanded
to use or develop (something) to get something else that has greater value
He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship.
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Recent Examples of parlayed
That the Astros’ last Japanese pitcher paid it no mind — and parlayed it into something prolific — didn’t hurt, either.
—
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 6 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
By then, showrunner-auteur Lear had parlayed the All in the Family base camp into a virtual multiverse of spin-offs (Maude, The Jeffersons) and spawns (Sanford and Son).
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
Waymo has parlayed this safety record into an enormous expansion.
—Patrick George, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
Google, though, appears to be the only one that has parlayed its investment into a winning business strategy.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
Sampha parlayed a role as the label’s first intern into a successful recording career there; Tasker was the label’s second intern.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 16 Dec. 2025
That lifelong commitment to knowledge helped make Whitaker a dominant player, who has also parlayed his skills into a job writing questions for the British quiz show University Challenge.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
There was some hope that Brosmer, who parlayed a combination of accuracy and preternatural processing skills into a roster spot out of training camp, might surprise everyone by running an efficient ship on Sunday.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2025
Chandler Rome, New York Times, 6 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
By then, showrunner-auteur Lear had parlayed the All in the Family base camp into a virtual multiverse of spin-offs (Maude, The Jeffersons) and spawns (Sanford and Son).
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
Waymo has parlayed this safety record into an enormous expansion.
—Patrick George, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
Google, though, appears to be the only one that has parlayed its investment into a winning business strategy.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
Sampha parlayed a role as the label’s first intern into a successful recording career there; Tasker was the label’s second intern.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 16 Dec. 2025
That lifelong commitment to knowledge helped make Whitaker a dominant player, who has also parlayed his skills into a job writing questions for the British quiz show University Challenge.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
There was some hope that Brosmer, who parlayed a combination of accuracy and preternatural processing skills into a roster spot out of training camp, might surprise everyone by running an efficient ship on Sunday.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlayed
Verb
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The Pacers expanded their lead to as large as 25 points in the second quarter before the Heat finally started to push back.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
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In 2025, the Navy expanded its training programs for future E-6B pilots, with courses now held in Oklahoma, where the majority of the aircraft are based and operated.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Florida extended their lead to 3-1 early in the third period as Forsling launched a slap shot past Merilainen for his second goal of the season.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
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According to the filing, Pepsi allegedly reinforced that gap by offering Walmart promotional payments, allowances and data-sharing services that were not extended to other retailers.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This year, organizers had an onsite medical staff boosted by a nursing station sponsored by Cheer Home Care.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
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For the air traffic controllers at work, deliveries of food and coffee from flight attendants and a pilot association boosted morale this week.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This trend accelerated in December as the flag state emerged as a critical shield against drone strikes and vessel seizures.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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America’s top campuses remain crowded with wealth, but some universities have accelerated efforts to reach a wider swath of the country, recruiting more in urban and rural areas and offering free tuition for students whose families are not among the highest earners.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This is prime Allen — the reigning MVP, at 29 years old, is still in command of all his physical gifts and has developed an understanding beyond almost all who put straps to chins.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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In the group with the strongest rhythms, 31 of 728 people developed dementia, compared to 106 of 727 people in the group with the weakest rhythms.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Wolverines increased their lead to 42 with less than a minute left in the fourth.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
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And while famine has not yet emerged, food insecurity has increased, with most Cubans eating a limited diet and skipping meals.—
Joseph J. Gonzalez,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Across 33 non-College Football Playoff games, viewership jumped 13% year-over-year.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
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This year, enrollment jumped to nearly 87%, up from just over 60% the previous year.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In his first four games back after missing 10, Jackson has augmented the pass protection on an offensive line that allowed no sacks in Quinn Ewers’ first NFL start.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
23 Dec. 2025
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Think about a core legacy ERP system that can then be augmented with point of sale data or supply chain data that allows for different types of insights to be gleaned and operations to be managed in a more effective way.—
Fortune Editors,
Fortune,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parlayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlayed. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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