gambled; gambling
ˈgam-b(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: to play a game for money or property
b
: to bet on an uncertain outcome
2
: to stake something on a contingency (see contingency sense 1) : take a chance
1
a
: an act having an element of risk
b
: something chancy
2
: the playing of a game of chance for stakes
Synonyms
Examples of gamble in a Sentence
Verb
He's been drinking and gambling heavily.
He would often gamble hundreds of dollars on a hand of poker.
The mayor is gambling with the city's future.
people who lost money gambling in the stock market
The mayor is gambling that the new policies will help rather than hurt the city.
Noun
Starting her own business was a gamble, but it paid off.
She thought about starting her own business, but she decided it was too much of a gamble.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
Her urge to gamble disappeared approximately three weeks later.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
League rules say that no NBA employees, including players, coaches, and referees, are allowed to gamble on NBA games.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Chaumont has decided to gamble that the proceeds from future trade with America will outstrip the cost of providing long-term hospitality to a man with Franklin’s appetites.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Everyone knew Rose gambled too much, on sports in particular.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2024
Sports Why feds say Shohei Ohtani is a ‘victim’: Interpreter allegedly paid gambling debts pretending to be Dodger
April 12, 2024
No, Ohtani did not gamble on baseball.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As for cheating scandals, if Romans were gambling at the Colosseum, some hustler was probably out there trying to convince a gladiator to throw a fight.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
How did finding out that your dad gambled most of his money away affect you?
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Chris Morris, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
But staffing a project with a neurodiverse team was a huge personal gamble taken by Ignacio and his wife, Isabel, to transform the stigmas around neurodivergence in the United States.
—Michael Snyder, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The buzzy film represents a high-stakes gamble for A24.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
If the huge gambles David Stearns made this offseason pay off, Mets are a playoff team.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
There’s also the last-second gamble for a steal against Stephen Curry in mid-February, which cost the Suns a victory after holding an 88% win probability with just four seconds remaining.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
While this move was considered heresy at the time, his gamble has paid off handsomely, creating one of the world’s finest wines harvest after harvest.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024
Such steps, which have created many controversies, seem gratuitous at best and risky at worst—needless gambles for a party cruising to victory.
—Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2024
After four days filled with hours-long pitches to tease blockbuster hopefuls and big gambles, Variety has assessed the studio presentations that may have missed the mark or could just salvage the struggling box office.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Verb
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm.
—Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 26 Apr. 2024
Her urge to gamble disappeared approximately three weeks later.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024
League rules say that no NBA employees, including players, coaches, and referees, are allowed to gamble on NBA games.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Chaumont has decided to gamble that the proceeds from future trade with America will outstrip the cost of providing long-term hospitality to a man with Franklin’s appetites.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Everyone knew Rose gambled too much, on sports in particular.
—Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2024
Sports Why feds say Shohei Ohtani is a ‘victim’: Interpreter allegedly paid gambling debts pretending to be Dodger
April 12, 2024
No, Ohtani did not gamble on baseball.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As for cheating scandals, if Romans were gambling at the Colosseum, some hustler was probably out there trying to convince a gladiator to throw a fight.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
How did finding out that your dad gambled most of his money away affect you?
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
Physical locations are a gamble, though, and don’t always pay off.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
But staffing a project with a neurodiverse team was a huge personal gamble taken by Ignacio and his wife, Isabel, to transform the stigmas around neurodivergence in the United States.
—Michael Snyder, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The buzzy film represents a high-stakes gamble for A24.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
If the huge gambles David Stearns made this offseason pay off, Mets are a playoff team.
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
There’s also the last-second gamble for a steal against Stephen Curry in mid-February, which cost the Suns a victory after holding an 88% win probability with just four seconds remaining.
—Shane Young, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
While this move was considered heresy at the time, his gamble has paid off handsomely, creating one of the world’s finest wines harvest after harvest.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024
Such steps, which have created many controversies, seem gratuitous at best and risky at worst—needless gambles for a party cruising to victory.
—Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2024
After four days filled with hours-long pitches to tease blockbuster hopefuls and big gambles, Variety has assessed the studio presentations that may have missed the mark or could just salvage the struggling box office.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gamble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Gamble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamble. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gamble
2 of 2 noun1
: a risky undertaking
2
: a betting on a game of chance
Legal Definition
gamble
verb
gam·ble
ˈgam-bəl
gambled; gambling
: to risk something of value for the chance of winning a prize
: to risk (something) for the chance of winning a prize
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