Library / English Dictionary

GAMBLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A risky act or venture

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("gamble" is a kind of...):

danger; peril; risk (a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gamble"):

long shot (a venture that involves great risk but promises great rewards)

raise (increasing the size of a bet (as in poker))

Derivation:

gamble (take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Money that is risked for possible monetary gain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Hypernyms ("gamble" is a kind of...):

speculation; venture (an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "gamble"):

bet; stake; stakes; wager (the money risked on a gamble)

Derivation:

gamble (play games for money)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Play games for money

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "gamble" is one way to...):

play (participate in games or sport)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gamble"):

dice (play dice)

shoot craps (play a game of craps)

play (bet or wager (money))

bet; play; wager (stake on the outcome of an issue)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

gamble (money that is risked for possible monetary gain)

gambler (a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events)

gambling (the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

Example:

When you buy these stocks you are gambling

Synonyms:

adventure; chance; gamble; hazard; risk; run a risk; take a chance; take chances

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "gamble" is one way to...):

assay; attempt; essay; seek; try (make an effort or attempt)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "gamble"):

go for broke (risk everything in one big effort)

luck it; luck through (act by relying on one's luck)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

gamble (a risky act or venture)

gambler (someone who risks loss or injury in the hope of gain or excitement)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Most people who gamble don't have a problem, but some lose control of their gambling.

(Compulsive Gambling, NIH: Natonal Institutes of Health)

Pathological gamblers are unable to cut back on their gambling, despite the fact that it may lead them to lie, steal, or lose a significant relationship, job, or educational opportunity.

(Pathological Gambling, NCI Thesaurus)

Keep in mind that this financial luck is based on earned income, not prize winnings, so if you gamble, don’t expect to win big.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

A large pile of sovereigns, and several slips of paper were lying before him, and he was counting over his gambling gains.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Many people enjoy gambling, whether it's betting on a horse or playing poker on the Internet.

(Compulsive Gambling, NIH: Natonal Institutes of Health)

And thence we went to the Mall in St. James’s Park, and thence to Brookes’s, the great Whig club, and thence again to Watier’s, where the men of fashion used to gamble.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Signs of problem gambling include: • Always thinking about gambling • Lying about gambling • Spending work or family time gambling • Feeling bad after you gamble, but not quitting • Gambling with money you need for other things

(Compulsive Gambling, NIH: Natonal Institutes of Health)

Da Fontano the promoter came there, and Ed Legros and James B. (Rot-Gut) Ferret and the De Jongs and Ernest Lilly—they came to gamble and when Ferret wandered into the garden it meant he was cleaned out and Associated Traction would have to fluctuate profitably next day.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)