a roll of the dice

idiom

informal
used to say that something could have either a good result or a bad result
Opening a new restaurant is always a roll of the dice.
It's a roll of the dice whether we succeed or fail.

Examples of a roll of the dice 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.
Before the backdrop of a magmatic cavern stand three adventurers: a warrior, a mage, and a trickster who, with a roll of the dice, are preparing to defeat a tentacled chthonic beast. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024 But the Santa Rosa club members aren’t the only ones out there who prefer a roll of the dice to a mouse click. Laurence Miedema, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024 My problem is that signing up for a lesson through a resort or a health club is such a roll of the dice. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024 Even daily life can feel like a roll of the dice: With regularity, some Americans go to school, the grocery store, church, a concert, or the movies and get gunned down in a random act of mass murder. Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2024 For now, the death of our planet is a roll of the dice away from certainty. Quanta Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023 Every day since the trees were planted has been a roll of the dice. Stefanos Chen Bryan Anselm, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2023 Their seats, however, were dictated by a roll of the dice. Jasmine Li, Fortune, 13 Sep. 2023 That might be a roll of the dice no media outlet wants to take. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 7 Sep. 2023

Dictionary Entries Near a roll of the dice

Cite this Entry

“A roll of the dice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20roll%20of%20the%20dice. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!