Russian roulette

noun

1

: an act of bravado consisting of spinning the cylinder of a revolver loaded with one cartridge, pointing the muzzle at one's own head, and pulling the trigger

2

: something resembling Russian roulette in its potential for disaster

taking cocaine is playing Russian roulette

—Jonathan Nicholas

Examples of Russian roulette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This backfills how Reacher was able to play Russian roulette thrice without dying. —Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025

Probabilities may seem abstract, but think of it like Russian roulette: Our lives are at stake, and the fossil fuel industry keeps adding bullets to the cylinder. —Jordan Thomas, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2025

After the Recruiter ups the Russian roulette odds of dying to five in six, Woo-seok plays two rocks. —Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024

Eventually, Gi-hun finds The Salesman and the two play another deadly game of Russian roulette, leading the salesman to take his own life. —Esther Kang, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Russian roulette

• electrojet
• marionette
• plantagenet
• videlicet
• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet