Words in the News: Gamble

  

Today's Word in the News is gamble, which appears in the front page headline of no less than 3 British national dailies. They all refer to the Labour government's plan to cut taxes to boost the economy.

In the above headlines gamble is used as a noun. The Collins Cobuild Advanced Dictionary defines a gamble as "a risky action or decision that you take in the hope of gaining money, success, or an advantage over other people". Gamble is also a verb. If you gamble on something, you take a risky action or decision. If you gamble money, you bet it in a game such as cards or roulette or on the result of a race or match. 

A gambler is a person who gambles regularly and gambling is the act of betting money; e.g. Some people are addicted to gambling.