Russian roulette

noun

1
: an act of bravado consisting of spinning the cylinder of a revolver loaded with one cartridge, pointing the muzzle at one's own head, and pulling the trigger
2
: something resembling Russian roulette in its potential for disaster
taking cocaine is playing Russian rouletteJonathan Nicholas

Examples of Russian 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.
Decision-makers in the Middle East should ask themselves whether playing Russian roulette with nuclear reactors is worth the risk. Bennett Ramberg, Foreign Affairs, 25 May 2015 That should change, immediately, because this is starting to feel like Russian roulette. Howard Kurtz, Fox News, 17 Sep. 2024 The challenge is to ensure that your moves are calculated and not just a financial game of Russian roulette. Bola Sol, refinery29.com, 6 Feb. 2024 Saddam's conduct of Iraqi foreign policy after coming to power in the 1970s was thus essentially one long game of Russian roulette. Amatzia Baram, Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2012 See all Example Sentences for Russian roulette 

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Russian roulette was in 1937

Dictionary Entries Near Russian roulette

Cite this Entry

“Russian roulette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Russian%20roulette. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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