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
Raquel is resourceful and has made the best of her situation, parlaying the social capital of being a firefighter’s widow into a lucrative career as a grief influencer and star of Black Veil, a reality series dedicated to helping widows find their own second chances at love.
—
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Perfetti fills Ehlers’ void adequately and the Jets win the Central, this time parlaying it into a deep playoff run.
—The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Staub is now reportedly parlaying that performance into a start this Friday against Houston in Colorado’s Big 12 opener.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Perfetti fills Ehlers’ void adequately and the Jets win the Central, this time parlaying it into a deep playoff run.
—The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Staub is now reportedly parlaying that performance into a start this Friday against Houston in Colorado’s Big 12 opener.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlaying
Verb
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The concept is expanding into practice in the state as a solution to regional food distribution challenges.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
9 Nov. 2025
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Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Consider Tupperware’s FridgeSmart Container Set your secret weapon to extending the life of your produce, organizing your food, and adding money back to your pocket.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
11 Nov. 2025
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Schumer, who voted against the package, had pressed for a guarantee on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, a Democratic demand that was ultimately not met in the deal.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Stickers from The Good Patch include Nite Nite for better sleep, Think for boosting focus, and Rescue for hangovers.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
11 Nov. 2025
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This would increase demand without boosting supply, which could worsen the cost-of-living problem at the heart of Americans’ frustrations with the economy.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Dark energy was introduced as a placeholder force to explain this accelerating expansion.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The expansion rate of the universe may be slowing down, rather than accelerating at an ever-growing rate, a potentially groundbreaking new study has hinted.—
Ian Randall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
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The military is striking the boats at the same time the administration is applying increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.—
NPR,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Courtesy Deirdre Hall When reading women’s routine mammograms, radiologists are increasingly augmenting their eyes with artificial intelligence.—
Elizabeth Cohen,
NBC news,
22 Oct. 2025
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The British royal family member accessorized her look with gold earrings by English designer Daniella Draper — donning a pair of mini hoops with shamrock charms in gold, further augmenting the fall shades of her ensemble.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Eli Lilly is similarly developing a new injectable GLP-1, retatrutide, that appears to be even more effective than the current drugs on the market—and which the company confirmed is not currently included in its agreement with the White House.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
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The researchers learned that people who ate very similarly to the portfolio diet had a 14% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease or stroke than people who ate less similarly to the diet.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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He was first elected to the House in 1992, and now represents an inland district stretching from the southern Riverside suburbs to Palm Springs.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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Without stretching their budget, travelers can enjoy 22 miles of pristine coastline or cross the bridge to hop on a shuttle with Explore Jax Core Tours, where the city’s history, culture, and future unfold through vivid storytelling and physical representation.—
Essence,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parlaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlaying. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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