wager
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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an agreement or pledge to pay an amount of money as a result of the outcome of an unsettled matter
-
an amount staked on the outcome of such a matter or event
-
(in medieval Britain) a pledge to do battle for a cause, esp to decide guilt or innocence by single combat
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English legal history a form of trial in which the accused offered to make oath of his innocence, supported by the oaths of 11 of his neighbours declaring their belief in his statements
verb
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(when tr, may take a clause as object) to risk or bet (something) on the outcome of an unsettled matter
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(tr) history to pledge oneself to (battle)
Other Word Forms
- rewager verb
- superwager noun
- unwagered adjective
- wagerer noun
Etymology
Origin of wager
1275–1325; Middle English wajour, wager solemn pledge < Anglo-French wageure, equivalent to wage ( r ) to pledge ( wage ) + -ure -ure
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A foreign intelligence service could place large wagers on certain low-probability events, generating a flurry of headlines that fuel panic and rattle markets.
Flutter said sustained, bookmaker-friendly sports results left users with less funds to keep betting with, leading to reduced customer activity and amounts wagered.
But concerns about wagers placed on inside information have proliferated.
From BBC
“The rest of you must look like your father. I’ll wager he was handsome.”
From Literature
A robust Nvidia outlook, as well as commentary on longer-term demand from CEO Jensen Huang, will keep that conversation going and test investors’ faith in the broader AI wager.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
