as in to expand
to use or develop (something) to get something else that has greater value
He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of parlay
Hewitt wanted to parlay his internship into a career in baseball.
—
Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Voros majored in English at Harvard University and hoped to eventually parlay that into a career as an actor in the theater, her first love.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
Having built his fame through social media and then parlayed his skills at climbing vertiginous structures, photography and drone operation into a lucrative art career — one partly built on non-fungible tokens — Wright has a narrative that’s also a quintessentially 21st-century success story.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
There are also nods to Audemars Piguet’s more recent history, like a cool Marshall jukebox packed with songs from AP collaborators—Mark Ronson, John Mayer, and Raye, among them—which parlays the strong music seam that runs though the new AP House.
—Ming Liu, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for parlay
Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Voros majored in English at Harvard University and hoped to eventually parlay that into a career as an actor in the theater, her first love.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 20 Mar. 2026
Having built his fame through social media and then parlayed his skills at climbing vertiginous structures, photography and drone operation into a lucrative art career — one partly built on non-fungible tokens — Wright has a narrative that’s also a quintessentially 21st-century success story.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
There are also nods to Audemars Piguet’s more recent history, like a cool Marshall jukebox packed with songs from AP collaborators—Mark Ronson, John Mayer, and Raye, among them—which parlays the strong music seam that runs though the new AP House.
—Ming Liu, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for parlay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parlay
Verb
-
With the 2026 midterms approaching, sustained voter unease could reshape the broader electoral map and complicate Republican efforts to hold or expand their congressional margins.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But the department is looking to expand its authority.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Edwards extended his hit streak to five games during Tuesday evening’s 9-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox, going 2 for 4 with a pair of singles.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Eighth-grader Ella Parece dealt a complete-game shutout, pairing with a two-RBI performance from Bella Bourque to help Taunton (2-0) extend its win streak to 58 games with a 5-0 Hockomock League victory over Attleboro.—
Tyler McManus,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At the height of the pandemic — when learning loss was accelerating and reading gaps were widening — the approval process was estimated to take six months to a year.—
Daniel L Gordon,
Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In the long term, the supply shock may accelerate nuclear restarts and electric vehicle adoption faster than years of climate policy ever managed.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Your 3rd House of Information and your 11th House of Community are both boosted by the Moon’s trine to lucky Jupiter.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Gardeners frequently incorporate raw manure in the fall or composted manure in the spring to naturally boost soil nutrients.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The MorphoScan’s measurements ebbed and flowed from day to day as expected, with my weight dropping the day after a cardio workout and increasing after a weekend of indulgence.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
-
UConn recovered from its prolonged shooting slump to regain its bearings, eventually increasing its lead to 10 points on a Mullins’ 3 with 47 seconds left in the half before heading into the locker room up 37-29.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In January, a DNA profile was successfully developed and uploaded to a direct-to-consumer ancestry database while a genealogist assigned to the Riverside Cold Case Homicide Team was able to positively identify a potential match to a close relative in Alabama.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Waldron developed a knuckleball, no small feat.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fortifier, a product tailored to preemies, is meant to augment mother’s milk when babies are born prematurely and a mother’s milk alone doesn’t deliver enough nutrition.—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
And the bullpen highlighted by Carlos Estevez and Lucas Erceg augmented by the addition of Matt Strahm figures to give them an advantage in putting away games.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Trolley lines move across the city, stretching as far West as the Darby Transit Center and back East toward 13th street.—
Kaitlyn McCormick,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In the courtyard, the hotel’s signature Mariposa (Spanish for butterfly) sculpture stretches overhead like a modern butterfly wing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parlay. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
