I. wa·ger ˈwājə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English wageour, wager pledge, bet, prize, from Anglo-French wageure, from Old North French wagier to pledge + -ure — more at wage
1.
a. : something (as a sum of money) that is risked on an uncertain event : bet , stake , prize
laid a wager of five dollars on the race
b. : an act of betting ; specifically : wagering contract
the outcome may be sufficiently in doubt to make a true wager possible — Oswald Jacoby
c. : something on which bets are laid : the subject of a bet : gamble
do a stunt as a wager
2. archaic : an act of giving a pledge to take and abide by the result of some action: as
a. : trial by battle
b. : wager of law
II. wager verb
( wagered ; wagered ; wagering -j(ə)riŋ ; wagers )
transitive verb
: to hazard on the issue of a contest or on a question that is to be decided or on a casualty : risk , venture ; specifically : to lay as a gamble
wager five dollars on a horse
intransitive verb
: to make a bet : lay a wager
III. wag·er noun
( -s )
: one that wages : one that engages in a contest or competition : competitor
the great numbers of these fish show that they are successful wagers of life — William Beebe