gamblegam‧ble1 /ˈɡæmbəl/ ●●○ verb [intransitive, transitive] 
Their religion forbids them to drink or gamble.gamble on Jack loves gambling on the horses.2to do something that involves a lot of risk, and that will not succeed unless things happen the way you would like them togamble on They’re gambling on Johnson being fit for Saturday’s game.gamble something on something Potter gambled everything on his new play being a hit.gamble that She was gambling that he wouldn’t read it too carefully.gamble with We can’t relax our safety standards – we’d be gambling with people’s lives.—gambler noun [countable]: Stevens was a compulsive gambler.THESAURUSgamble to try to win money, for example by playing cards or guessing which horse will win a race: · Eddie loved to gamble, and would spend most evenings at the roulette table.· A growing number of people are gambling online.bet/have a bet to try to win money by guessing who will win a race or game: · He liked to smoke, drink, and bet on horses.· Jerry bet $1000 on the game.· We had a bet on the Irish team to win.put £10/$20 etc on something to gamble £10, $20 etc on the horse or team that you think will win a race or competition: · I put $100 on the Cowboys to win.have a flutter British English informal to gamble a small amount of money, especially on the result of a horse race – used especially when someone does not gamble very often: · I’m not a heavy gambler, but I like to have a flutter from time to time.· I had a little flutter on the Grand National and won £5.play for money to gamble money on the result of a game which you are playing: · ‘Are we playing for money here, gentlemen?’ he said as he approached the pool table.· You’re allowed to play cards in the bar, but not for money.back to gamble money on a particular horse, team etc that you think will win a race or competition: · When I back a horse, it always seems to finish second.gamble something ↔ away phrasal verb to lose the whole of an amount of money by gambling: Nielsen gambled his inheritance away.
WORD ORIGINgamble1
Origin:
1700-1800 gameVERB TABLE
gamble
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | gamble |
| he, she, it | gambles | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | gambled |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have gambled |
| he, she, it | has gambled | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had gambled |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will gamble |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have gambled |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am gambling |
| he, she, it | is gambling | |
| you, we, they | are gambling | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was gambling |
| you, we, they | were gambling | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been gambling |
| he, she, it | has been gambling | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been gambling |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be gambling |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been gambling |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- At the trial, defense attorney Neal gambled by calling no defense witnesses.
- We won $700 gambling in Las Vegas.
- Being of very modest means, but having some contacts upon the turf, he attempted to increase his wages by gambling.
- By appealing directly to his fellow-citizens and banking on a generous response, the President may just have gambled correctly.
- By converting pounds to other currencies investors are gambling that the pound will fall.
- I let them gamble for the criminals' belongings.
THESAURUS
to try to win money, for example by playing cards or guessing which horse will win a race: · Eddie loved to gamble, and would spend most evenings at the roulette table.· A growing number of people are gambling online.
to try to win money by guessing who will win a race or game: · He liked to smoke, drink, and bet on horses.· Jerry bet $1000 on the game.· We had a bet on the Irish team to win.
to gamble £10, $20 etc on the horse or team that you think will win a race or competition: · I put $100 on the Cowboys to win.
British English informal to gamble a small amount of money, especially on the result of a horse race – used especially when someone does not gamble very often: · I’m not a heavy gambler, but I like to have a flutter from time to time.· I had a little flutter on the Grand National and won £5.
to gamble money on the result of a game which you are playing: · ‘Are we playing for money here, gentlemen?’ he said as he approached the pool table.· You’re allowed to play cards in the bar, but not for money.
to gamble money on a particular horse, team etc that you think will win a race or competition: · When I back a horse, it always seems to finish second.
Longman Language Activatorto gamble to try to win money, for example by playing cards or guessing which horse will win a race: · Eddie loved to gamble, and would spend most evenings at the roulette table.gamble away something/gamble something away (=waste a lot of money by gambling): · Roger gambled away all his money in a Las Vegas casino.· She inherited $50,000 but gambled it away.
when you try to win money, for example by playing cards or guessing which horse will win a race: · Is gambling legal here?· Your Uncle Maury has a gambling problem.· Crane admits that he is addicted to gambling.· He was against the introduction of a National Lottery as he thought it might encourage gambling.
to try to win money by guessing who will win a race or game: · I don't bet very often.bet on something/have a bet on something (=gamble money on the result of a race or game): · We usually have a bet on the Grand Prix.· Rogers was not much of a gambler. When he bet on the horses, he almost always lost.bet £10/$100 etc on something: · Jerry bet $1000 on the game.place a bet (=say which horse, team, competition etc you want to gamble on and pay the money that you want to gamble): · I've placed a bet on a horse in the next race.· All bets must be placed before the start of the race.
to gamble £10, $20 etc on the horse or team that you think will win a race or competition: · I put $20 on the Cowboys to win.· He put £50 on Middlesborough to beat Manchester United at odds of 3-1.put a bet on something (=gamble on a horse, game etc): · I think I'll put a bet on the next race.
to gamble money on a particular horse, team, or person that you think will win a particular competition: · We backed a horse named Travelling Light that finished first at 10-1.back something/somebody to win something: · Uncle Barry backed Arsenal to win the FA Cup.
to gamble money on the result of a game which you are playing, for example cards: · "Are we playing for money here, gentlemen?" he said as he approached the pool table.· You're allowed to play cards in the bar, but not for money.
British informal to gamble a small amount of money, especially on the result of a horse race - use this especially about someone who does not gamble very often: · I'm not a heavy gambler, but I like to have a flutter from time to time.have a flutter on: · I had a little flutter on the Grand National and won £5.
to lose money by not guessing correctly the result of a game, race, or competition: · He claims that he lost the money on a dice game.· I lost a lot of money on the dogs last night.
to win money by correctly guessing the result of a game, race, or competition: · I heard that he won a lot of money on the Superbowl a few years ago.
someone who gambles someone who gambles, especially someone who gambles a lot and cannot stop: · Jack was a great drinker and gambler.· De Niro plays Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a professional gambler.compulsive gambler (=someone who cannot stop gambling): heavy gambler (=someone who gambles a lot): · It was rumoured that he was a heavy gambler and lost large sums in Monte Carlo.
WORD SETSback, verbbank, nounbanker, nounbet, verbbet, nounbid, verbbingo, nounbookie, nounbookmaker, nouncasino, nounchip, nouncroupier, noundividend, noundraw, nouneach way, adverbfruit machine, noungamble, verbgaming, nounlottery, nounodds, nounofftrack, adjectiveone-armed bandit, nounparimutuel, nounplace, verbraffle, nounraffle, verbroulette, nounslot machine, nounstakeholder, nounsweepstake, nountombola, nountout, verbwager, nounwager, verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Stevens was a compulsive gambler.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Compulsive overspending in these days of credit cards has become more common. Police believe he is involved in an international smuggling racket.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
Stevens was a compulsive gambler. Compulsive overspending in these days of credit cards has become more common.· The fines for illegal parking are likely to increase.
Police believe he is involved in an international smuggling racket.· The memory of empty bellies because their father had gambled away all the National Assistance was still fresh in their minds.· He gambles away the money but is back on her doorstep the next morning.· But he drank and gambled away the lot, and it closed.· But her father gambled away the tuition for private college, and she was forced to return to the University of Kansas.· All it's done is to give him more money to gamble away up in London.· G: A difference of opinion, Geoffrey, press your buttons and gamble away.· They drank less and saved instead of gambling away their earnings.
· Quinn had gambled on there being something inside the case to lead police and troops to whatever rendezvous he established with Zack.· Now her family are gambling on yet another operation, this time with her father, David as the donor.
NOUN· Well-known casino and gambling interests have contributed regularly to the campaigns of the three senators.· Legislation to legalize casino gambling could be introduced in Congress next fall.
· He was also, by reputation, an alcoholic who needed the money to pay his gambling debts.· All it's done is to give him more money to gamble away up in London.
· McAllister said two Las Vegas casinos have recently inquired about obtaining online gambling licenses in Antigua.· They also express concern about the addiction and underage gambling they believe will be the inevitable partners of online gambling.
VERB· Time and again you've promised not to drink, not to gamble, and still you waste yourself.· Claudio is the unfaithful, deceitful { friend } who leads Leonardo astray into drinking, gambling and having romantic affairs.· They drank a lot, they gambled, supposedly they practised the Black Mass.· He stopped drinking, smoking, gambling, and womanizing.· But he drank and gambled away the lot, and it closed.· He stopped smoking, drinking, and gambling, and rediscovered the joy of swimming.
· Last fall a congressional tourism commission started debate on legalizing gambling.· Legislation to legalize casino gambling could be introduced in Congress next fall.· The appointments come as interest in legalized gambling appears to be growing in the legislature.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1to risk money or possessions on the result of something such as a card game or a race, when you do not know for certain what the result will be: - Investing in high-tech companies is a calculated risk.
- But it is a calculated risk.
- He just took a calculated risk on the spur of the moment.
- Injured Stephen Pears, who took a calculated gamble with a cheekbone injury, was never tested in goal.
- It was a calculated risk to take a man without forensic experience, but we were looking for a manager primarily.
- It was a calculated risk, like all voyages into the unknown.
- These high-handed tactics were obviously risky, but they were a calculated risk.
- The movie moguls were taking it up.
- Under normal circumstances Chaplin may well have simply thrown the eminent movie mogul a mere passing glance of recognition.
Their religion forbids them to drink or gamble.gamble on Jack loves gambling on the horses.2to do something that involves a lot of risk, and that will not succeed unless things happen the way you would like them togamble on They’re gambling on Johnson being fit for Saturday’s game.gamble something on something Potter gambled everything on his new play being a hit.gamble that She was gambling that he wouldn’t read it too carefully.gamble with We can’t relax our safety standards – we’d be gambling with people’s lives.—gambler noun [countable]: Stevens was a compulsive gambler.THESAURUSgamble to try to win money, for example by playing cards or guessing which horse will win a race: · Eddie loved to gamble, and would spend most evenings at the roulette table.· A growing number of people are gambling online.bet/have a bet to try to win money by guessing who will win a race or game: · He liked to smoke, drink, and bet on horses.· Jerry bet $1000 on the game.· We had a bet on the Irish team to win.put £10/$20 etc on something to gamble £10, $20 etc on the horse or team that you think will win a race or competition: · I put $100 on the Cowboys to win.have a flutter British English informal to gamble a small amount of money, especially on the result of a horse race – used especially when someone does not gamble very often: · I’m not a heavy gambler, but I like to have a flutter from time to time.· I had a little flutter on the Grand National and won £5.play for money to gamble money on the result of a game which you are playing: · ‘Are we playing for money here, gentlemen?’ he said as he approached the pool table.· You’re allowed to play cards in the bar, but not for money.back to gamble money on a particular horse, team etc that you think will win a race or competition: · When I back a horse, it always seems to finish second.gamble something ↔ away phrasal verb to lose the whole of an amount of money by gambling: Nielsen gambled his inheritance away.