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Glite Dictionary
roulette wheel

roulette wheel

5 4.8
A round spinning wheel with numbered slots used for bets in the game of roulette
  • noun
  • /ruˈlɛt ˌwiːl/
translation icon : rueda de ruleta
  • He just won over a hundred thou at the roulette wheel.
  • spin the roulette wheel
  • turn of the roulette wheel

Let's just say hypothetically here to bet your house, right, or the most expensive thing you own, you can put it down on black and we'll roll a roulette wheel.

Examples

  • The roulette wheel spun rapidly, while the small ball bounced between the numbered slots.

  • To them, it was just a pile of blue chips on a roulette wheel.

    Blog text (33)

  • You know, I think this trip is gonna be a good chance for me... to try out my new system on the roulette wheel.

    Play It to the Bone (1999)

  • No matter how gigantic the roulette wheel, the ball had to stop somewhere.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Finally, he stopped in front of a huge roulette wheel, summoned one of the many waiter-cashiers, and ordered a handful of chips.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Sal stops as an Italian laborer, standing in front of a roulette wheel, shouts in triumph.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The series' final event was an attempt to predict the outcome of a roulette wheel, staking 5,000 of a chosen viewer's money on the outcome.

    Blog text (16)

  • Charlie leans back against the bar, surveying the customers clustered around roulette wheels and cocktail tables.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • What I missed most was gambling, the tiny, lovely whir of the roulette wheel just after the rien ne va plus of the croupier.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Players gathered around the roulette wheel eagerly awaited the outcome of each spin.

Synonyms

wheel
vsroulette wheel
∞ 1.0

A round object that turns on an axle to help move or steer vehicles

is used for gambling bets rather than for movement or steering

How Specialized

roulette wheel
5 4.8
gaming table
3 3.6
card table
11 2.6
table
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

roulette wheel singular
roulette wheels plural

Morphology

roulette + wheel

The meaning is directly compositional: 'roulette' names the betting game or device and 'wheel' denotes a round rotating object, so together they denote the wheel used in the game of roulette. This is a literal, cross-linguistically common noun + noun combination, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Roulette wheel creates a clear image: the word roulette means a small wheel and the game uses a round wheel with numbered slots and a little ball that is spun until it falls into one slot. That's why the roulette wheel is the device people place 'bets' on — where the ball lands decides the winner by 'chance'.