English▸ verb [no object]
1 play games of chance for money; bet:
she was fond of gambling on cards and horses.
▪ [with object] bet (a sum of money) on a game of chance:
he was gambling every penny he had on the spin of a wheel.
2 take risky action in the hope of a desired result:
[with clause] the British could only gamble that something would turn up.
▸ noun [usually in singular] an act of gambling; an enterprise undertaken or attempted with a risk of loss and a chance of profit or success.