/ ˈgæmbl; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
gamble (sth) (on sth) to risk money on a card game, horse race, etc. :
[ v ]
to gamble at cards
to gamble on the horses
[ vn ]
I gambled all my winnings on the last race.
2.
gamble (sth) (on sth) to risk losing sth in the hope of being successful :
[ vn ]
He's gambling his reputation on this deal.
[ v ]
It was wrong to gamble with our children's future.
► gam·bler / ˈgæmblə(r); NAmE / noun :
He was a compulsive gambler (= found it difficult to stop) .
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PHRASAL VERBS
- gamble sth away
- gamble on sth / on doing sth
■ noun
[ sing. ] an action that you take when you know there is a risk but when you hope that the result will be a success :
She knew she was taking a gamble but decided it was worth it.
They invested money in the company right at the start and the gamble paid off (= brought them success) .
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent.: from obsolete gamel play games, or from the verb game .