noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈɡæm.bl̩.ɪŋ/
/ˈɡæm.blɪŋ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -æmblɪŋ
CMU ARPABET:G AE1 M B AH0 L IH0 NG
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:G AE1 M B L IH0 NG
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An activity characterized by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance, usually with money wagered on the outcome.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
He lost a fortune through gambling at casinos.
Online gambling has become a global industry.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
present participle and gerund of gamble
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning (including the payment of a price for a chance to win a prize)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
his gambling cost him a fortune
there was heavy play at the blackjack table
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gaming, play
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: diversion, recreation, vice
Narrower terms: sporting life, bet, wager, game of chance, gambling game, throw
History
Etymology
By surface analysis, gamble + -ing.
Across languages
Translations
113 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
bixhoz
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Albanian:
kumar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Arabic:
قِمَار
(qimār)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Arabic:
مُقَامَرَة
(muqāmara)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Arabic:
مَيْسِر
(maysir)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Arabic:
قُمار
(gumār)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Armenian:
մոլախաղ
(molaxaġ)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Azerbaijani:
qumar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Belarusian:
аза́ртная гульня́
(azártnaja hulʹnjá)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Bengali:
জুয়া
(juẏa)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Betawi:
judi
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Bulgarian:
хаза́рт
(hazárt)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Bulgarian:
кома́р
(komár)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Burmese:
အကစား
(a.ka.ca:)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Burmese:
အလောင်းအစား
(a.laung:a.ca:)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Chinese Mandarin:
賭博 /赌博
(dǔbó)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Czech:
hazardní hra
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Danish:
hasard
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Danish:
hasardspil
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Dutch:
kansspel
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Dutch:
gokspel
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Dutch:
hazardspel
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Estonian:
mängurlus
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Estonian:
hasartmäng
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Finnish:
uhkapeli
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Finnish:
rahapeli
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
French:
jeux de hasard
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
French:
pari
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Georgian:
აზარტული თამაში
(azarṭuli tamaši)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
German:
Glücksspiel
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
German:
Hasardspiel
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Greek:
χαρτοπαιξία
(chartopaixía)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Greek:
τζόγος
(tzógos)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Greek:
κουμάρι
(koumári)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Haitian Creole:
jedaza
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Hebrew:
הִמּוּר \ הימור
(himúr)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Hindi:
जुआ
(juā)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Hindi:
क़िमार
(qimār)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Hungarian:
szerencsejáték
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Icelandic:
fjárhættuspil
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Indonesian:
perjudian
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Indonesian:
judi
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Irish:
cearrbhachas
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Italian:
giochi d'azzardo
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Italian:
gioco d'azzardo
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Japanese:
賭博
(tobaku)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Japanese:
博奕
(bakueki)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Japanese:
博打
(bakuchi)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Javanese:
judhi
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Kazakh:
құмар
(qūmar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Kazakh:
әуестік ойын
(äuestık oiyn)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Khmer:
ការភ្នាល់
(kaa phnŏəl)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Korean:
도박
(dobak)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Korean:
노름
(noreum)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Central Kurdish:
قومار
(qumar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Northern Kurdish:
qumar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Southern Kurdish:
قومار
(qumar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Kyrgyz:
кумар оюну
(kumar oyunu)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Kyrgyz:
кумар
(kumar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Lao:
ການພະນັນ
(kān pha nan)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Latvian:
azartspēle
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Lithuanian:
azartinis lošimas
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Macedonian:
комар
(komar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Macedonian:
коцкање
(kockanje)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Macedonian:
хазард
(hazard)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Malay:
perjudian
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Malay:
judi
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Maltese:
logħob tal-azzard
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Mongolian:
мөрийтэй тоглоом
(möriitej togloom)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Norwegian Bokmål:
hasard
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Norwegian Bokmål:
hasardspill
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Pashto:
قمار
(qemār)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Iranian Persian:
قِمار
(ġemâr)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Polish:
hazard
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Portuguese:
jogo de azar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Romanian:
jocuri de noroc
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Russian:
аза́ртная игра́
(azártnaja igrá)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Russian:
аза́ртные и́гры
(azártnyje ígry)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Russian:
иго́рный би́знес
(igórnyj bíznɛs)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Russian:
гэ́мблинг
(gɛ́mbling)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Sanskrit:
द्यूत
(dyūta)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Serbo-Croatian:
коцкање
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Serbo-Croatian:
kockanje
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Slovak:
hazardná hra
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Slovene:
igra na srečo
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Spanish:
juego de azar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Spanish:
timbeo
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Spanish:
escolaso
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Spanish:
apuesta
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Swahili:
kamari
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Swedish:
hasardspel
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Swedish:
hasard
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Tagalog:
sugal
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Tajik:
қимор
(qimor)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Tatar:
комар
(qomar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Telugu:
జూదము
(jūdamu)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Thai:
การพนัน
(gaan-pá-nan)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Turkish:
kumar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Turkish:
meysir
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Ottoman Turkish:
قمار
(kumar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Ottoman Turkish:
میسر
(meysir)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Turkmen:
humar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Turkmen:
kumarbazlyk
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Turkmen:
kumar
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Ukrainian:
аза́ртна гра
(azártna hra)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Ukrainian:
аза́ртна ігра́
(azártna ihrá)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Urdu:
قِمار
(qimār)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Urdu:
جُوا
(juā)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Uyghur:
قىمار
(qimar)
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Uzbek:
qimor
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Vietnamese:
đổ bác
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Vietnamese:
đánh bạc
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance
Vietnamese:
cờ bạc
— activity characterised by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance