as in expanding
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 parlaying
Butler proved correct then, parlaying it into a max contract, and has trusted his gut on business decisions since, using his power and brazenness to help influence his way out of other situations and into $312 million of career earnings.
—
Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
There’s still the notion of being your own personal Robin Hood — parlaying a lifetime of loss into one big win.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
One of the world’s most prominent menswear designers, Jones also logged seven years at Louis Vuitton before joining Dior, parlaying his zest for exotic travel into ultra-luxurious collections with understated cool and sly functionality.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
By parlaying them into the AI realm, this lamentedly is an insidious form of anthropomorphizing AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
And one of the answers to that question was parlaying it into a return to directing.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
And Cesar Millian has certainly done that, parlaying his love of dogs into not just a personal industry, but by helping scores of pets owners understand their charges, and pets understand that they are loved.
—Anne Easton, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
There’s still the notion of being your own personal Robin Hood — parlaying a lifetime of loss into one big win.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025
One of the world’s most prominent menswear designers, Jones also logged seven years at Louis Vuitton before joining Dior, parlaying his zest for exotic travel into ultra-luxurious collections with understated cool and sly functionality.
—Miles Socha, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
By parlaying them into the AI realm, this lamentedly is an insidious form of anthropomorphizing AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
And one of the answers to that question was parlaying it into a return to directing.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
And Cesar Millian has certainly done that, parlaying his love of dogs into not just a personal industry, but by helping scores of pets owners understand their charges, and pets understand that they are loved.
—Anne Easton, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlaying
Verb
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Jackson is also considering expanding her part-time interior decorating business.—
Barbara Bry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
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Wood was recognized for her leadership in creating and expanding the district’s TRACprogram—Teamwork, Regulation, Acceptance, and Community.—
News Release,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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What matters is that Dan Hurley’s team won, extending its tournament winning streak to 13 games — and, most importantly, keeping alive its dream of a three-peat.—
Brendan Marks,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
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By extending the narrative beyond the confines of a talent agency’s office, the series aims to be both a celebration of Madrid’s cultural scene and a reflection of the industry’s inner workings.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With re-accelerating inflation on the horizon, another 5%+ inflation over the next four years could easily see gold at $5,000 an ounce.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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These changes disrupt the body's delicate anabolic-catabolic balance, with testosterone promoting tissue growth and libido and cortisol accelerating breakdown and stress responses.—
Ximena Araya-Fischel,
Forbes.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Crosby’s work rate is increasing in recent games, his puck battle win ratio even better than usual.—
Josh Yohe,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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President Joe Biden maintained those tariffs and added tariffs on other Chinese products, including personal protective equipment, electric vehicles, batteries, and steel, slightly increasing the average tariff on imports from China.—
Michael B. G. Froman,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That said, the club didn’t pack it in, added high risk/high reward guys like Scherzer and Santander late in the winter, and likely upgraded their closer from Romano to Hoffman while augmenting their already solid defense with the (pricey) acquisition of Gimenez.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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Can this power be guided with care, augmenting the light alongside economic destitution?—
John Werner,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This is a developing story and will be updated.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
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To fund these upgrades, the city proposes developing thousands of market-rate apartments.—
Andrew Genn,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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By jumping to agentic, Amazon can make home assistants that are capable and conversational like ChatGPT but also have a framework for communicating and controlling external services, as Alexa and Siri can.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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On Sunday, McIlroy blew up for a double bogey on the first hole before jumping out to a massive lead.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parlaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlaying. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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