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gamble

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A significant risk, undertaken with a potential gain.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

gambuhl

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡæmbəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A significant risk, undertaken with a potential gain.

  2. A bet or wager.

  3. A risky act or venture

verb

  1. Play games for money

  2. To play risky games, especially casino games, for monetary gain.

  3. Take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

    “When you buy these stocks you are gambling.”

  4. To take a risk, with the potential of a positive outcome.

  5. transitive

    To risk (something) for potential gain.

  6. To interact with equipment at a casino.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To play risky games, especially casino games, for monetary gain.

Used this way, gamble is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

gamble companybig gambledesperate gamblegreat gamblestandard gambleport gamble

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • gamblingnounInflected form

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

  • gamblernounInflected form

    A person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • gambling dennounCompound term

    A public building in which a variety of games of chance can be played (operated as a business).

  • gambling gamenounCompound term

    A game that involves gambling.

  • gambling hellnounCompound term

    A public building in which a variety of games of chance can be played (operated as a business).

  • gambling housenounCompound term

    A public building in which a variety of games of chance can be played (operated as a business).

  • gambling systemnounCompound term

    A system of rules for placing bets that is believed to lead to winning.

  • gambling casinonounCompound term

    A public building for gambling and entertainment.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.