GAMBLE


Meaning of GAMBLE in English

/ 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) .

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) .

••

WORD ORIGIN

early 18th cent.: from obsolete gamel play games, or from the verb game .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.