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 roulette—
Jonathan Nicholas
Jonathan NicholasExamples of Russian roulette in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Though generally sweet and mild, their fame stems from the fact that the occasional pepper will be fiery hot – lending a Russian roulette element of surprise to eating them.
—Jon Yeomans, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
After a harrowing game of Russian roulette involving rock, paper, scissors minus one, the loan shark sacrifices his life to save Woo-seok.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Team Trump’s erratic game of Russian roulette over tariffs, vaccines and Ukraine are only the most dangerous examples of their unpatriotic incompetence.
—Mark Green, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
Reduced to occasionally doing commercials for used cars, and spending most of his days drinking, despairing, and sporadically playing Russian roulette in a retirement home for actors, the curmudgeonly Montana has a death wish that only sheer luck has kept him from fulfilling.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025
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Jon Yeomans, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
After a harrowing game of Russian roulette involving rock, paper, scissors minus one, the loan shark sacrifices his life to save Woo-seok.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Team Trump’s erratic game of Russian roulette over tariffs, vaccines and Ukraine are only the most dangerous examples of their unpatriotic incompetence.
—Mark Green, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025
Reduced to occasionally doing commercials for used cars, and spending most of his days drinking, despairing, and sporadically playing Russian roulette in a retirement home for actors, the curmudgeonly Montana has a death wish that only sheer luck has kept him from fulfilling.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Russian roulette
Cite this Entry
“Russian roulette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Russian%20roulette. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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