parlay

[ pahr-ley, -lee ]
See synonyms for: parlayparlayed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to bet or gamble (an original amount and its winnings) on a subsequent race, contest, etc.

  2. Informal. to use (one's money, talent, or other assets) to achieve a desired objective, as spectacular wealth or success: He parlayed a modest inheritance into a fortune.

noun
  1. a bet of an original sum and the subsequent winnings.

Origin of parlay

1
An Americanism first recorded in 1820–30; alteration of earlier paroli, from French, from Neapolitan Italian, plural of parolo, perhaps derivative of paro “equal,” from Latin pār; see pair1

Words Nearby parlay

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use parlay in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for parlay

parlay

/ (ˈpɑːlɪ) US and Canadian /


verb(tr)
  1. to stake (winnings from one bet) on a subsequent wager: Brit equivalent: double up

  2. to exploit (one's talent) to achieve worldly success

noun
  1. a bet in which winnings from one wager are staked on another, or a series of such bets

Origin of parlay

1
C19: variant of paroli, via French from Neapolitan Italian parolo, from paro a pair, from Latin pār equal, par

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012