Parlay definition

pärlā, -lē
parlayed parlaying parlays
See word origin
Frequency:
To use to great advantage or transform into something better.

Parlayed some small investments into a large fortune.

verb
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To exploit (an asset) successfully.

To parlay one's voice into fame.

verb
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A bet comprising the sum of a prior wager plus its winnings or a series of bets made in such a manner.
noun
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To bet (an original wager plus its winnings) on another race, contest, etc.
verb
2
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A bet or series of bets made by parlaying.
noun
2
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To speak about peace. To have peace talks. See also: pow-wow.
verb
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To parlay is to take something you have or something you win and transform it into something more valuable.

When you win $100 at the casino and you bet that $100 and end up winning thousands, this is an example of when you parlay your winnings.

verb
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The definition of a parlay is a series of bets in which the money you have won is used as the stake for your next bet.

If you win $10, then bet that $10; then win $20 and bet the full $30 you have won so far, this is an example of a parlay.

noun
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To carry forward the stake and winnings from a bet onto a subsequent wager.
verb
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To convert into something better.
verb
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Such a bet or series of bets.
noun
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(by extension) To increase.
verb
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1
To bet (an original wager and its winnings) on a subsequent event.
verb
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2

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
parlay
Plural:
parlays

Origin of parlay

  • Alteration of paroli staking of double the sum staked before in faro from French from obsolete Italian probably from Italian parare to place a bet from Latin parāre to prepare pare

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Coined ca. 1828 as a verb, used as a noun ca. 1904. From French parler (“speak").

    From Wiktionary

Parlay Sentence Examples

  • If you are like most sports bettors, the words college football parlay makes you salivate.

  • If the company keeps you, parlay these skills into a new role or a raise.

  • Despite all of the speculation surrounding her love life, Aniston has been able to parlay her television success into a bankable film career.

  • If you spend every waking moment riding horses, grooming horses, talking about horses and thinking about horses, perhaps you could parlay that into a boarding stable business, a show grooming service, or a retail tack and feed store.

  • She was able to parlay this dramatic change into a role on the TV sitcom It's Like, You Know..., where she poked fun at herself and the fact that she looked so different from the earlier film characters she'd portrayed.

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Words near parlay in the Dictionary