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.
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 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

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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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