[singular] an action that you take when you know there is a risk but when you hope that the result will be a success She knew she was taking a gamble but decided it was worth it. They invested money in the company right at the start and the gamble paid off (= brought them success). It was the biggest gamble of his political career. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebig, enormous, great, … verb + gambletake, lose gamble + verbpay off, fail prepositiongamble on phrasesa bit of a gamble, something of a gamble See full entry Word Originearly 18th cent.: from obsolete gamel ‘play games’, or from the verb game.Extra examples I took a calculated gamble and it paid off. It was time for a last desperate gamble. Trying to find the right pension can be a bit of a gamble. They invested money in the company right at the start and the gamble paid off.
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