as in bet
to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event
a foolish man who gambled his life savings on the lottery
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Recent Examples of gambled
More than 70% of Connecticut’s undergraduate students have gambled, with 17% reporting it at a moderate level, according to a survey of 1,300 students at 30 higher education institutions across the state conducted by two UConn researchers.
—
Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
The Saints gambled by not making a single substitution until the final minute of the game, nearly becoming the first team since 1979 to play its starters all 40 minutes.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The moves were a complete departure from last year, when the Rams wrongly gambled that a young and aggressive pass rush could offset their decision to not make a single upgrade to the secondary.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Gamblers Anonymous has reported young men showing up in droves across the country, and one survey found that nearly one-third of 11-year-old boys had gambled in the past year.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
In this race, Delray Mayor Tom Carney also gambled — and lost.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Alerted to suspicious bets by its integrity partner, MLS opened an investigation and found that Jones and Yeboah had gambled extensively through 2024 and 2025, including on games they were actively involved in.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Between 17% and 30% had gambled online.
—Gillian Russell, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
His father gambled in Monte Carlo and drove a Lamborghini Countach well into his 70s.
—Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
The Saints gambled by not making a single substitution until the final minute of the game, nearly becoming the first team since 1979 to play its starters all 40 minutes.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
The moves were a complete departure from last year, when the Rams wrongly gambled that a young and aggressive pass rush could offset their decision to not make a single upgrade to the secondary.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Gamblers Anonymous has reported young men showing up in droves across the country, and one survey found that nearly one-third of 11-year-old boys had gambled in the past year.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
In this race, Delray Mayor Tom Carney also gambled — and lost.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
Alerted to suspicious bets by its integrity partner, MLS opened an investigation and found that Jones and Yeboah had gambled extensively through 2024 and 2025, including on games they were actively involved in.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Between 17% and 30% had gambled online.
—Gillian Russell, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
His father gambled in Monte Carlo and drove a Lamborghini Countach well into his 70s.
—Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gambled
Verb
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The Masters, season’s first of four golf majors, tees off Thursday at Augusta anyway with Scottie Scheffler (ho hum) the betting favorite per DraftKings followed by Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau.—
Greg Cote
April 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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Desmond is betting on his local record to give him an edge.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But the major goal of the flight, along with putting the Orion through its paces, is to test the planning, procedures and flight control protocols for managing upcoming moon landing missions after a half-century gap between the Artemis and Apollo programs.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Joe hit three 3-pointers in an 85-second flurry to put the Thunder up 99-61 in the third quarter.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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It’s estimated that $30 billion was wagered legally on NFL games in 2025.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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The craze reached its apex in 1916, when Wall Street bettors wagered $10m (about $300m today) on the contest between President Woodrow Wilson and Charles Hughes — who, as governor of New York, had signed an anti-gambling law trying to ban the practice.—
Kelli María Korducki,
thehustle.co,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Takaoka played a long arcing ball-ahead to Ocampo, who avoided goalkeeper James Pantemis — who had charged off his line — and rolled a shot from the edge of the penalty area inside the back post and into a wide-open net.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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The Current’s still one of the most talented teams in the league, boasting such USWNT veterans as Cooper, Sentnor and LaBonta, along with women who’ve played for other countries — Lorena and midfielder Rocky Rodriguez (Costa Rica), for instance.—
PJ Green
April 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gambled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gambled. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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