one-armed bandit

one-armed ban·dit
UK/ˌwʌnɑːmd ˈbændɪt/US/ˌwʌnɑɹmd ˈbændɪt/

noun

A gaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin; the player wins money or tokens when certain combinations of symbols line up on these reels.

Similar
penny-in-the-slot machineslot
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Meanings

nounone-armed bandit (plural one-armed bandits)

plural one-armed bandits · alternative one-arm bandit

  1. gamblingA gaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin; the player wins money or tokens when certain combinations of symbols line up on these reels.
  2. Synonym of penny-in-the-slot machine.

    Synonyms: penny-in-the-slot machine

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of penny-in-the-slot machine.

Similar
penny-in-the-slot machine

More synonyms by meaning

nouna slot machine that is used for gambling

Similar
slot
Broader
slot machinecoin machine
Also see
penny-in-the-slot machineslotslot machine

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From one-armed (“having only one arm”) + bandit (“one who robs others in a lawless area, especially as part of a group; one who cheats others”), referring to the fact that the machine is operated by a single handle, and “steals” money from losing players.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 老虎機 /老虎机
  • 老虎機 /老虎机 (lǎohǔjī)gaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Danish enarmet tyveknægt
  • enarmet tyveknægtgaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Dutch eenarmige bandiet
  • eenarmige bandietgaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Estonian ühekäeline bandiit
  • ühekäeline bandiitgaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Finnish yksikätinen rosvo
  • yksikätinen rosvogaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
French bandit manchot
  • bandit manchotgaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
German einarmiger Bandit
  • einarmiger Banditgaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Hungarian félkarú rabló
  • félkarú rablógaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Polish jednoręki bandyta
  • jednoręki bandytagaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Russian однору́кий банди́т
  • однору́кий банди́т (odnorúkij bandít)gaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Swedish enarmad bandit
  • enarmad banditgaming machine having a long arm-like handle at one side that a player pulls down to make reels spin
Cite this entry
APA

one-armed bandit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one-armed%20bandit

MLA

“one-armed bandit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one-armed%20bandit. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “one-armed bandit,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/one-armed%20bandit.

Source: one-armed bandit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.