Meaning & use
wagering
Last updated
“wagering” is a form of “wager”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitiveformal
The act of risking money on the result of a game, race or other uncertain event.
Grammar: Used as a gerund (the -ing form); it names the activity rather than showing who does it: Wagering is illegal here.
Patterns
- wagering on something
- illegal wagering
- online wagering
Wagering on horse races is tightly controlled in many countries.
The company made most of its money from online wagering.
He lost a large sum through reckless wagering.
verbintransitivefigurative
Taking a risk by acting as if something is certain to be true.
Grammar: Figurative use as a gerund; often followed by on: wagering on the weather.
Patterns
- wagering on something
- wagering that …
Farmers are wagering on a wet spring to save the harvest.
She is wagering that the market will recover by summer.
Word forms
| third person singular | wagers |
|---|---|
| past tense | wagered |
| past participle | wagered |
| -ing form | wagering |
Common combinations
- wagering on
- Many people enjoy wagering on football matches.
- illegal wagering
- Police shut down an illegal wagering operation.
- online wagering
- Online wagering grew quickly after the law changed.
- wagering losses
- He could not repay his wagering losses.
- sports wagering
- Sports wagering is now allowed in several states.
Synonyms and how they differ
- betting
- The everyday word; wagering sounds more formal and often appears in legal or business contexts.
- gambling
- Broader and more negative; it covers all games of chance, while wagering usually means staking money on a specific outcome.
- staking
- Focuses on the money put forward rather than the whole activity.
Word family
Commonly confused: wagering or waging?
wagering vs waging
Waging means starting and continuing a war or campaign; wagering means risking money on a result.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'wagering' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Wagering on' means risking money on an uncertain result, so the election example fits. 'Wagering the dishes' wrongly treats it as a household verb, and the other options use patterns that do not belong to this word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wagering”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.