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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Gamble: Definition, Usage & Key Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：bet money on games (gamble)

gamble 🔊

/ˈɡæmbl/

To play games like poker or roulette, where you use money and rely on luck to win or lose.

Gamble definition illustrated with poker chips and cards on a casino table.

bet money on games 🔊

➕

/bɛt ˈmʌni ɒn ɡeɪmz/

To participate in a game or activity where money or valuables are risked, with the outcome determined largely by chance.

📁 Category：Entertainment & Sports 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'gamel', an archaic word for 'game' or 'play'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'game' at the 'table'. A gam(e)-ble at the table.

📖 Example

He decided to gamble his savings on a poker game at the local club, hoping for a lucky break. 🔊 He decided to bet his savings on a poker game at the local club, hoping for a lucky break.

🔗 Collocations

gamble at the casino – To play games of chance for money in a casino.

gamble away – To lose something, especially money, by gambling.

gamble on horses – To bet money on the outcome of horse races.

🔄 Synonyms

bet (v.) – To risk money on the outcome of an event.

wager (v./n.) – To bet a sum of money; a formal term for a bet.

stake (v.) – To risk money or something valuable on an event's result.

🚫 Antonyms

save (v.) – To keep money instead of spending or risking it.

conserve (v.) – To protect something from being lost or wasted.

🌱 Derivatives

gambler (n.) – A person who gambles regularly.

gambling (n.) – The activity of playing games of chance for money.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'gamble' originates from the Middle English 'gamen', meaning 'to play'. Its modern sense of risky betting evolved in the 18th century, coinciding with the rise of formal gambling establishments like casinos, deeply embedding it in the context of games of chance and financial risk.

Meaning 2：take a big risk (gamble)

gamble 🔊

/ˈɡæmbl/

To take a risky action where you are not sure of the outcome, like a gamble in life or business.

Gamble as taking a risk shown by a person at a decision crossroads.

take a big risk 🔊

➕

/teɪk ə bɪɡ rɪsk/

To undertake an action or venture with an uncertain outcome, involving a significant chance of loss or failure.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Starting her own bakery was a big gamble, but she believed in her recipes and it eventually succeeded. 🔊 Starting her own bakery was a significant risk, but she believed in her recipes and it eventually succeeded.

🔗 Collocations

gamble on a new idea – To risk resources by investing in an untested concept.

a calculated gamble – A risk taken after careful consideration of the potential outcomes.

gamble with one's future – To take actions that put one's future prospects at risk.

🔄 Synonyms

risk (v./n.) – To expose to the possibility of loss or damage.

venture (v./n.) – To undertake a risky or daring journey or course of action.

speculate (v.) – To invest in stocks, property, etc., in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss.

🚫 Antonyms

play it safe (phrase) – To avoid taking any risks.

guarantee (v.) – To provide a formal assurance or certainty.

🌱 Derivatives

gamble (n.) – A risky action or undertaking.