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
Myron Lapka, who parlayed a standout college career at USC into three seasons in the NFL, died Monday following a years-long battle with cancer, as revealed in a social media post by his son Shane.
—
Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Two of them were parlayed into rookie guard Cedric Coward, while another could result in a juicy 2026 lottery pick from the Suns.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Her latest project — Soul on Fire — was also a full-circle role for Szostak, who plays the mother of burn victim John O'Leary, who parlayed a tragic accident into a career as a motivational speaker.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
His meteoric rise captures how Silicon Valley converts zeitgeist into capital—and how that, in turn, can be parlayed into influence.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The offense is run by a first-year coordinator, after his predecessor, Kellen Moore, parlayed last season’s Super Bowl run into a head coaching job in New Orleans.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
Copeland parlayed a successful 20-year pro wrestling career (where he was known by the ring name Edge) into acting.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Lyon and Stolarz parlayed their one-year success at Florida into starting gigs elsewhere (Lyon in Detroit, Stolarz in Toronto).
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Apatow parlayed that success into writing the 1995 film Heavyweights and producing The Cable Guy, starring Jim Carrey, in 1996.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Two of them were parlayed into rookie guard Cedric Coward, while another could result in a juicy 2026 lottery pick from the Suns.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Her latest project — Soul on Fire — was also a full-circle role for Szostak, who plays the mother of burn victim John O'Leary, who parlayed a tragic accident into a career as a motivational speaker.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
His meteoric rise captures how Silicon Valley converts zeitgeist into capital—and how that, in turn, can be parlayed into influence.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
The offense is run by a first-year coordinator, after his predecessor, Kellen Moore, parlayed last season’s Super Bowl run into a head coaching job in New Orleans.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
Copeland parlayed a successful 20-year pro wrestling career (where he was known by the ring name Edge) into acting.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Lyon and Stolarz parlayed their one-year success at Florida into starting gigs elsewhere (Lyon in Detroit, Stolarz in Toronto).
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Apatow parlayed that success into writing the 1995 film Heavyweights and producing The Cable Guy, starring Jim Carrey, in 1996.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlayed
Verb
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Founded in 1980, the company’s work with the federal government expanded significantly after 2018, completing more than $100 million in contracts since 2002, according to GovTribe.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
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The league then expanded its postseason bonus pool to $500,000 total in 2022.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In response, Taipei has extended mandatory military service from four months to one year, boosted arms purchases from its top supplier, the United States, and modestly raised defense spending—measures that have met stiff resistance from opposition lawmakers.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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Mike Matheny’s contract was extended through 2020 at the end of the 2016 season, though he was fired in 2018.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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By all accounts, the big banks will have plenty of good news to report, given a rebound in the capital markets, as well as a huge resurgence in dealmaking activity this year, that have boosted their businesses.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
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In response, Taipei has extended mandatory military service from four months to one year, boosted arms purchases from its top supplier, the United States, and modestly raised defense spending—measures that have met stiff resistance from opposition lawmakers.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This was at least the fourth Ukrainian attack on Russian oil facilities in the last week, continuing a campaign that accelerated over the summer and has led to gasoline shortages in parts of Russia.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
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The deal accelerated over several crucial moments — Israel’s strike on Qatar, discussions on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York City and Jared Kushner’s conversations with his father-in-law, these sources said.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Researchers from Soochow University in China have developed a textile fabric that turns clothes into always-accessible AI assistants.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Oct. 2025
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To investigate, the Balbach and her colleagues developed a special technique to follow the metabolism of glucose between non-activated and activated sperm.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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At low concentrations, adsorption increased gradually, typical of monolayer adsorption, where molecules form a single layer on the surface.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
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While global life expectancy is up, youth and young adult mortality rates increased between 2011 and 2023, according to the report.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hernandez belted a home run as part of a two-run top of the second inning that gave the Dodgers the lead after the Brewers jumped ahead with a Jackson Chourio solo homer in their first trip to the plate.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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After Walmart released the news on Tuesday, its share price jumped 5%.—
Serenah McKay,
Arkansas Online,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Longoria continued her ivory color scheme with a clutch, and augmented her look with warm tones thanks to her small gold hoop earrings and strappy gold sandal heels.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
9 Oct. 2025
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Look for notes of maple, spice, and burnt orange peel, as the bourbon’s intrinsic character is augmented by this artful secondary maturation.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parlayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlayed. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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