monte

monte — noun

1. A problem-solving technique that uses repeated random sampling to estimate the o

1.nounB2
Definition

A problem-solving technique that uses repeated random sampling to estimate the outcome of complex systems where exact calculation is difficult. It is widely used in scientific computing, engineering, physics, and financial forecasting. The name comes from the Monte Carlo district in Monaco, known for its casino, because the method relies on randomness, like gambling.

Example

Dahlia used a Monte Carlo simulation to forecast the company's quarterly sales figures.

Monte Carlo simulation + business forecasting context

The engineering team used Monte Carlo algorithms to model wind loads on a new bridge.

Common collocations
  • Monte Carlo simulation
  • Monte Carlo method
  • run a Monte Carlo
  • Monte Carlo algorithm
  • monte-style simulation
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

Monte Carlo + noun (simulation / method / algorithm)

monte-style + noun

Usage Note

In modern academic and professional writing, the full name 'Monte Carlo method' or 'Monte Carlo simulation' is far more common than 'monte' alone. Using just 'monte' as a shorthand is mostly found in informal technical conversation.

Common Mistakes

We ran a monte on the data.
We ran a Monte Carlo simulation on the data.
The shortened form 'monte' is rare and may confuse readers who expect the card game meaning.

2. A betting card game that originated in Spain. The dealer places several cards fa

2.nounC1
Definition

A betting card game that originated in Spain. The dealer places several cards face up on the table, and players wager that the rank of their chosen card will show up again before any other face-up card's rank does, as the remaining deck is turned over one card at a time.

Example

Felipe learned to play monte from his grandfather, who was raised in rural Spain.

play monte = fixed phrase for the card game

The dealer laid four cards out and invited guests to a game of monte.

Common collocations
  • play monte
  • game of monte
  • Spanish monte
  • bet on monte
Synonyms
  • Spanish monte

    the full name of the traditional card game, emphasizing its regional origin

Grammar Patterns

play + monte

game of + monte

Usage Note

Be careful not to confuse the card game 'monte' with 'three-card monte' (see idiom below). Traditional casino monte is a fair game of chance, while three-card monte is a street confidence trick that relies on sleight of hand.

Common Mistakes

He was cheated playing monte in Las Vegas.
He was cheated playing three-card monte on the street.
The casino game 'monte' is a legitimate gambling game; the scam is specifically 'three-card monte.'
Idioms

three-card monte

idiom

A street confidence game in which the dealer shows three cards, asks the victim to track the winning card (often the queen or the money card), and uses skillful sleight of hand to cheat, so that the victim always picks the wrong card and loses their bet.

Tourists are often tricked into playing three-card monte by street performers who use sleight of hand.

The police warned everyone that three-card monte is a scam, not a fair game of chance.

Word family

  • Monte Carlo method
    noun phraseB2
  • Monte Carlo simulation
    noun phraseB2
  • three-card monte
    noun phraseC1
  • Spanish monte
    noun phraseC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These terms all relate to computational techniques used to deal with uncertainty. The Monte Carlo simulation is the most specific: it uses repeated random sampling to numerically approximate results, and its name references the casino element of chance. Random sampling method is a broader concept covering any technique that selects a subset from a population to make estimates. Stochastic simulation is a more technical term for any model that includes random variables, not just those using repeated sampling. Probabilistic modeling is the widest term of the four, referring to any mathematical framework that expresses outcomes in terms of probabilities. In practice, Monte Carlo is the most widely known and taught at undergraduate levels. For example, a weather forecaster might say: 'We built a probabilistic model using a Monte Carlo simulation, running 10,000 random sampling trials to estimate tomorrow's rainfall probability.'

Monte Carlo simulationrandom sampling methodstochastic simulationprobabilistic modeling

Common collocations

Nouns

  • simulation (Monte Carlo simulation)
  • method (Monte Carlo method)
  • algorithm (Monte Carlo algorithm)

Etymology

Spanish (card game)Italian place name (statistical method)English

The word 'monte' has two separate origins in English. The card-game sense comes directly from Spanish 'monte', meaning 'mountain', possibly referring to piles of cards or stacks of betting chips on the table. The computational sense is a shortening of 'Monte Carlo method', named after the Monte Carlo district in Monaco — a famous gambling resort. The name was chosen as a code word during the Manhattan Project in the 1940s because the method's reliance on random chance reminded the scientists of casino gambling. The two senses are etymologically unrelated but share the theme of chance.