roulette

1 of 2

noun

rou·​lette rü-ˈlet How to pronounce roulette (audio)
1
a
: a gambling game in which players bet on which compartment of a revolving wheel a small ball will come to rest in
b
: something involving a high degree of chance and unpredictability
2
a
: any of various toothed wheels or disks (as for producing rows of dots on engraved plates or for making short consecutive incisions in paper to facilitate subsequent division)
b
: tiny slits between rows of stamps in a sheet that are made by a roulette and serve as an aid in separation compare perforation

roulette

2 of 2

verb

rouletted; rouletting

transitive verb

: to make roulettes in

Examples of roulette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
However, the site also has roulette, baccarat, and Super 6. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The other is going to be a roulette wheel of flawed and undependable teams. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2024 The roulette wheel continues to spin on where Bucks games will air this season. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2024 Guests have returned, filling the blackjack and roulette tables amid the cacophony of jingling slot machines — the sound of money. Peter S. Goodman Bridget Bennett, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024 For a ski patroller, performing consequential rescues is a bit like playing roulette. Cathleen Calkins, Longreads, 23 Jan. 2024 With over 30 live dealer games, players can dive into a realistic gaming atmosphere with multiple versions of blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and, of course, poker. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024 Outside the paddock building, Formula 1 had built a structure housing a pop-up MGM casino complete with slot machines and a roulette table, as well as a wedding chapel named Race to the Altar, where a ceremony is currently underway. David Hill, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2024 The deal also allowed the tribe to contract with the state’s pari-mutuel operators to offer sports betting and gave the Seminoles permission to add craps and roulette at their casinos. Dara Kam, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
Verb
In addition to giving the Seminoles control over sports betting, the compact allowed the tribe to offer craps and roulette at its casinos. Dara Kam, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2022 The gambling deal, known as a compact, gave the Seminoles control over online sports betting throughout the state and allowed the tribe to add craps and roulette to its existing casino operations. Dara Kam, sun-sentinel.com, 21 Jan. 2022 The gambling deal gave the Seminoles control over online sports betting throughout the state and allowed the tribe to add craps and roulette to its existing casino operations. Dara Kam, sun-sentinel.com, 23 Dec. 2021 The tribe is ultimately expected to pay billions of dollars to the state because of sports betting and other benefits in the compact, such as being able to offer craps and roulette at tribal casinos. Dara Kam, sun-sentinel.com, 1 Nov. 2021 The deal also allows the Seminoles to offer craps and roulette at its casinos. Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 7 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roulette.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, literally, small wheel, from Old French roelete, diminutive of roele wheel, rowel, from Late Latin rotella, diminutive of Latin rota wheel — more at roll

First Known Use

Noun

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of roulette was in 1744

Dictionary Entries Near roulette

Cite this Entry

“Roulette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roulette. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

roulette

noun
rou·​lette
rü-ˈlet
1
: a gambling game in which players bet on which compartment of a revolving wheel a small ball will come to rest in
2
: a wheel or disk with teeth around the outside
Etymology

Noun

from French roulette, literally, "small wheel"

More from Merriam-Webster on roulette

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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