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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The benefit will feature casino-style table games such as poker, blackjack, roulette and craps. Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 23 Sep. 2024 All these rich men and women who own these teams, playing coaching roulette all over again. Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 18 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 See all Example Sentences for roulette 

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 29 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!