Russian roulette
noun
1
: an act of bravado consisting of spinning the cylinder of a revolver loaded with one cartridge, pointing the muzzle at one's own head, and pulling the trigger
2
: something resembling Russian roulette in its potential for disaster
taking cocaine is playing Russian roulette—
Jonathan Nicholas
Jonathan NicholasExamples of Russian roulette in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Borges and Morais further claimed that the gunmen would torment them by playing Russian roulette with their son, although he was never physically hurt.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
These sanctuary city politicians, like Mayor Wu out of Boston, are playing Russian roulette with the American public’s lives.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025
His efforts eventually proved successful and, following a nail-biting game of Russian roulette that the Recruiter lost, Gi-hun re-entered the games and worked hard to take them down from the inside.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 June 2025
Eventually, Gi-hun finds The Salesman and the two play another deadly game of Russian roulette, leading The Salesman to take his own life.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 June 2025
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Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
These sanctuary city politicians, like Mayor Wu out of Boston, are playing Russian roulette with the American public’s lives.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025
His efforts eventually proved successful and, following a nail-biting game of Russian roulette that the Recruiter lost, Gi-hun re-entered the games and worked hard to take them down from the inside.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 June 2025
Eventually, Gi-hun finds The Salesman and the two play another deadly game of Russian roulette, leading The Salesman to take his own life.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for Russian roulette
Cite this Entry
“Russian roulette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Russian%20roulette. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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