parlay
verb
par·lay
| \ ˈpär-ˌlā
, -lē
\
, -lē
\
parlayed;
parlaying;
parlays
Definition of parlay
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to bet in a parlay
2a
: to exploit successfully
He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship.
b
: to increase or otherwise transform into something of much greater value
She parlayed $5,000 and years of hard work into a multimillion-dollar company.
parlay
nounDefinition of parlay (Entry 2 of 2)
: a series of two or more bets so set up in advance that the original stake plus its winnings are risked on the successive wagers
broadly
: the fresh risking of an original stake together with its winnings
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Examples of parlay in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
By now, everyone knows how Thielen parlayed a rookie tryout into an opportunity at training camp after graduating from Minnesota State Mankato. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, "‘I wouldn’t be in the NFL’: Vikings weigh in on ‘Catch-22’ of shortening preseason," 28 Aug. 2019 The family ties run deep between the two camps, too: Both Tucker and Bobo count Smart as a confidant, and the pair parlayed stellar runs as coordinators between the hedges into landing the two biggest college gigs in Colorado. — Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, "Why Mel Tucker and Mike Bobo hit Rocky Mountain Showdown with Georgia on their minds," 25 Aug. 2019 After Garoppolo’s first pass got knocked down by a Denver Broncos defensive lineman, his second attempt resulted in an interception, and the Broncos parlayed that turnover into a field goal and 3-0 lead. — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "49ers Garoppolo update: How he looks in exhibition debut," 19 Aug. 2019 Politicians and businessmen affiliated with the group have met to pray and parlay with the likes of the late Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, Indonesian despot Suharto and Haitian dictator Papa Doc Duvalier, Sharlet said. — NBC News, "Secretive Christian group at heart of D.C. politics ready for its close-up," 9 Aug. 2019 Montijo’s efforts in the fall parlayed into great performances for the Providence track and field team, which thrived in the spring and had a successful day at the league finals. — Vincent Nguyen, Burbank Leader, "Looking Back: Providence excels amidst challenges in new league," 6 Aug. 2019 The rapidity with which those companies parlayed data on e-commerce and mobile payments into successful products hinted at the power inherent in Ping An’s own deep data pool. — Fortune, "China’s Biggest Private Sector Company Is Betting Its Future on Data," 22 July 2019 Naturally, people have plenty of suggestions for how Peppa could parlay her physical attributes into a future career, perhaps in the NBA. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Peppa Pig Meme," 26 July 2019 Wine was able to parlay his fame as a musician into a formidable political movement called People Power. — Krista Mahr, Los Angeles Times, "Pop star plans to challenge Uganda’s long-ruling president in election," 16 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Jones put down a $5 wager for the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl, The News Guard reports, to kick off the first legal sports wagering in the state since 2007, when the NFL parlay game Sports Action ended an 18-year run. — oregonlive.com, "Legal sports betting begins in Oregon as Chinook Winds Casino opens wagering lounge," 27 Aug. 2019 There will be three ways to wager: Single-game bets, parlays and in-game wagering. — oregonlive.com, "Canzano: Oregon Lottery poised to launch live sports book... soon," 16 Aug. 2019 Everyone shows up for a parlay, and when Jon does his show-and-tell bit with the wight, Cersei pretends to be properly spooked. — Ineye Komonibo, Marie Claire, "This Is How Season 7 of 'Game of Thrones' Ended," 13 Apr. 2019 Throughout the storyline, attempts at peacemaking, cooperation, and parlays are met again and again with bloodshed, betrayal, and cyclical violence. — Aja Romano, Vox, "In the era of Trump and apocalyptic change, Hopepunk is a storytelling template for #resistance — and hanging onto your humanity at all costs.," 27 Dec. 2018 Right after the presidents’ dinnertime parlay, Chinese officials said the two sides agreed to put tariffs in abeyance to negotiate a settlement but offered few other details then and in the days since. — WSJ, "China Breaks Its Silence on 90-Day U.S. Tariff Truce," 5 Dec. 2018 In 2005, a bill winding down Sports Action was passed, and the last parlays were bet in 2007. — Andrew Greif, OregonLive.com, "Among Oregon athletic directors, sports betting's potential return sparks hope and concern," 24 May 2018 Johnson, 41, wanted a two-team parlay with the A’s and White Sox. — Ed Barkowitz, Philly.com, "Crazy day at Atlantic City sportsbook as Mark Wahlberg bets the Eagles, Patriots and … Browns," 28 June 2018 Delaware has offered limited NFL parlay wagering since 2009. — Ed Barkowitz, Philly.com, "Why haven't Pa. casinos filed for sports-betting permission yet? Could be 10 million reasons," 4 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'parlay.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for parlay
parlay
verb
English Language Learners Definition of parlay
US
: to use or develop (something) to get something else that has greater value
See the full definition for parlay in the English Language Learners Dictionary