gamble
/ˈgæm·bəl/ vDefinition
› to risk losing money in the hope of winning a lot more money, esp. if the result of a future event happens as you hope: [I] Some people like to gamble even though the odds are against them. [M] He gambled away most of his money. › To gamble is also to do something that you think is worth doing although it might not succeed or you might lose money: [+ that clause] We’re gambling that enough people will show up at the concert to cover our expenses. gamble /ˈgæm·bəl/ n [C usually sing] › Starting up a new business is always a gamble. gambling /ˈgæm·blɪŋ/ n [U] › Gambling in the form of state lotteries is used to raise money for education.
(Definition of gamble v from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
Our dictionaries
Browse the Thesaurus
Browse the Dictionary
Word of the Day
throw caution to the wind/winds
to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
