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gambler

gambler

115 3.4
A person who risks money on games or races hoping to win more
  • noun
  • /ˈɡæmblər/
translation icon : apostador
  • Most casinos, he says, do not require gamblers to identify themselves before entering.
  • a compulsive gambler
  • a successful gambler
  • an inveterate gambler

And because I'm a gambler, he goes, or you could take stock.

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Examples

  • I'm with a friend of mine in Vegas, and he's a big gambler, OK?

  • He has always been a gambler, frequently trying his luck at poker tables.

  • My father was a gambler and an alcoholic.

  • My daddy was a gambler in Philadelphia.

  • But because these bets are not sure things, once in a while this gambler is going to lose.

  • A lot of gamblers out there man and they have needs.

  • The gambler had since disappeared and Floyd knew about it.

  • A problem gambling often hurts a gambler's loved ones.

  • And Carl Benoit, like many gamblers, was looking for some action.

    Academic text (2000)
  • A mixture of businessmen and gamblers creates a sense of activity and superficial excitement.

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

bettor
vsgambler
7 5.9

A person who puts money on the result of a game or race

is the general act of risking valuables on chance, not only placing bets
punter
vsgambler
  • UK
4 7.9

A person who bets money on races or sports

includes those bets but also other chance games and risk types
plunger
vsgambler
  • US
2 9.1

A person who risks large amounts of money hoping to win big

refers to risking money generally, not necessarily at extreme stakes
gamester
vsgambler
  • Archaic
1 7.3

A person who plays games for fun, sport, or money

focuses on risking money or valuables specifically to try to win more
better
vsgambler
  • Archaic
1 6.8

A person who places a bet on a game or race

covers risking money on many chance activities beyond single event bets
gamesman
vsgambler
  • Archaic
8.1

A person who plays games for money, for example at a casino

is broader, covering any risk on chance events hoping to win more
wagerer
vsgambler
6.8

A person who bets money on the result of an event

is broader, including risk for chance in varied games and events

Antonyms

23 1.4

A person who keeps money for the future instead of spending it

Compounds

amber gambler
  • Informal
9.9

A person who makes risky, often dangerous choices like betting or driving through amber lights

A person who used to bet money but no longer does

How Serious

high roller
25 5.6
gambler
115 3.4

Surface Forms

gambler singular
gamblers plural

Morphology

gambler = gamble (transparent) = gamble + er

Formed by the productive agentive suffix '-er' added to 'gamble', yielding 'person who gambles'.

Etymology

Gambler comes from the verb gamble, which is related to the simple word game meaning 'play'. So a gambler is someone who 'plays' with money or other things, risking them to try to win more.