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# gamble

verb (gamble, gambles, gambled, gambling); noun (a gamble, gambles)

«gamble» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To gamble is to bet money on a game, race or event, hoping to win more but risking losing it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#m1)
2. To gamble is to take a risk, hoping things turn out well. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#m2)
3. A gamble is a risky action or choice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#m3)

### In the lessons

In maths lessons on chance and probability pupils learn that gambling games are designed so that, over time, players lose more than they win. In stories a character takes a gamble. In everyday safety, gambling is only legal for adults. Phrases: «take a gamble», «gamble on», «a big gamble», «it paid off».

### Examples

- It was a gamble to leave without umbrellas, and we got wet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#x1)
- The captain took a gamble and it paid off. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#x2)
- People who gamble usually lose more money than they win. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#x3)
- She gambled on the weather staying sunny. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#x4)
- Gambling is only for adults, by law. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#x5)
- Some online games use tricks like gambling to get you to spend money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#x6)
- Was it a good gamble or a silly one? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/#x7)

### Note

Regular verb (drop «e»: gambled, gambling). Homophone trap: «gambol» means to skip and jump like a lamb. In maths: in gambling games the chance of losing is bigger than the chance of winning, so the house wins over time. Loot boxes in games work like gambling; talk to an adult.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «gamble» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gamble/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«gamble» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/gamble.html) on Mova free.