Meaning & use
dreidel
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablereligion
A small four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side, used in a game at Hanukkah.
Grammar: Countable: a dreidel, two dreidels. Often used with 'spin'.
Patterns
- spin a dreidel
- play with a dreidel
- a game of dreidel
The children took turns spinning the dreidel to win chocolate coins.
Each side of the dreidel has a Hebrew letter that tells you what to do.
We sang songs and played dreidel after lighting the Hanukkah candles.
noununcountablereligion
The game played with this spinning top during Hanukkah.
Grammar: Uncountable when it means the game: 'play dreidel', not 'play a dreidel'.
Patterns
- play dreidel
- a game of dreidel
After dinner, the family played dreidel for small stakes.
Do you know how to play dreidel?
Word forms
| plural | dreidels |
|---|
Common combinations
- spin a dreidel
- It's your turn to spin the dreidel.
- play dreidel
- They played dreidel until it was time for bed.
- a game of dreidel
- We had a game of dreidel with the whole family.
Commonly confused: dreidel or drey?
dreidel vs drey
A drey is a squirrel's nest; a dreidel is the Hanukkah spinning top.
Practice
What is a dreidel used for?
Choose one answer.
A dreidel is a spinning top used in a Hanukkah game. It is not used for lighting candles, building, or sailing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dreidel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.