bet
verb (used with object)
to wager with (something or someone).
bet
1 American
[bet]
/ bɛt /
verb (used with object)
-
bets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bet,
past participle, past
-
betted,
past participle, past
-
betting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
bets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bet,
past participle, past
-
betted,
past participle, past
-
betting
present participle
noun
-
a pledge of a forfeit risked on some uncertain outcome; wager.
Where do we place our bets?
-
that which is pledged.
a two-dollar bet.
-
something that is bet on, as a competitor in a sporting event or a number in a lottery.
That horse looks like a good bet.
-
an act or instance of betting.
It's a bet, then?
-
a person, plan of action, etc., considered as being a good alternative; choice.
Your best bet is to sell your stocks now.
idioms
-
all bets are off. see all bets are off.
-
you bet! of course! surely!.
You bet I'd like to be there!
bet
2
American
[beyt, bet]
/ beɪt, bɛt /
noun
BET
3
American
abbreviation
Trademark.
bet.
4
American
abbreviation
bet
British
/ bɛt /
noun
-
an agreement between two parties that a sum of money or other stake will be paid by the loser to the party who correctly predicts the outcome of an event
-
the money or stake risked
-
the predicted result in such an agreement
his bet was that the horse would win
-
a person, event, etc, considered as likely to succeed or occur
it's a good bet that they will succeed
-
a course of action (esp in the phrase one's best bet )
-
informal an opinion; view
my bet is that you've been up to no good
verb
-
to make or place a bet with (a person or persons)
-
(tr) to stake (money, etc) in a bet
-
informal (tr; may take a clause as object) to predict (a certain outcome)
I bet she fails
-
informal of course; naturally
bet
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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betsimple
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betssimple
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have betperfect
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have bettedperfect
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has betperfect
-
has bettedperfect
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am bettingprogressive
-
are bettingprogressive
-
is bettingprogressive
-
have been bettingperfect progressive
-
has been bettingperfect progressive
Past
-
betsimple
-
bettedsimple
-
had betperfect
-
had bettedperfect
-
was bettingprogressive
-
were bettingprogressive
-
had been bettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bet
First recorded in 1585–95; perhaps special use of obsolete bet “better,” in phrase the bet “the advantage,” i.e., “the odds”
Explanation
To bet is to gamble or risk something valuable against an unknown outcome. Poker players bet on each hand, hoping the cards they hold will beat those of the other players. Sometimes you bet money on a sporting event, wagering on the team you think will win and collecting even more money if it does. It's even more common to bet in a figurative way, saying something like, "I'd be willing to bet that the bus will be late again." The money you risk when you bet is also called a bet. The word probably comes from the now-obsolete noun abet, or "abetment."
Vocabulary lists containing bet
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The sports-car maker was hit by a collapse in sales in China, U.S. tariffs and a premature bet on electric vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
But her own bet is that, over time, the sites could "reinforce the same addictive neural networks they are trying to simulate".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Note carefully that high-beta stocks are not an automatic bet to perform well in the first busy week of this upcoming earnings season.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
A bet that humanity was worth rooting for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I bet you’ve agreed with my shirt for a long time.”
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
In the new experiments, the researchers again found that BET bromodomain inhibitors slowed the growth of prostate cancer cell lines.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
Even the news that ComicView, the iconic BET stand-up series, was getting a new reboot barely made waves online.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Paramount-Warner Bros. would also own more than 50 cable channels, including HGTV, Animal Planet, BET, MTV and Comedy Central.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
When MOF is removed, BRD2 can no longer stay attached to chromatin, while other BET proteins remain largely unaffected.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2026
The rest of the guys were inside waiting to make their calls or playing cards or watching rap videos on BET.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
“This is a big bet. These pay packages will not be realized unless Meta achieves massive future success, benefiting all of our shareholders,” a Meta spokesman told Barron’s.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
“This is a big bet. These pay packages will not be realized unless Meta achieves massive future success, benefiting all of our shareholders,” a Meta spokesman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
“End of May, beginning of June is probably a safe bet. Something like that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2026
Zuckerberg said he understood the frustration, and admitted: "I can't guarantee you that I'm going to be right about this bet. I do think that this is the direction that the world is going in."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2023
“Funny. Very funny. But they’d give a thousand dollars for him, I bet. Nine hundred for sure.”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
They may take both long and short positions, making bets on rising or falling prices in markets.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Muse is gaining popularity and helping convince investors that Meta’s AI bets are paying off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Misleading videos of students winning fake Polymarket bets, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, were also organized as a UGC campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
There were plenty of times during McCullum's reign as Test coach where those long-odds bets were placed, while Fleming seems much more likely to play the percentages.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
At the same time, the nobles hedged their bets.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Some of those purchases may have been partly driven by hedge funds that had betted against GameStop, trying to cover their positions, and some of those funds made bad losses.
From Reuters ● Oct. 18, 2021
No one betted on Ms. Warren dropping out.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 13, 2019
It was the precursor to the euro but the experience ended in humiliation for Britain when hedge funds, including the Hungarian billionaire George Soros, betted against the pound — and won.
From Fox News ● Apr. 5, 2019
I have money on Wigan staying up, betted a few weeks back.
From BBC ● May 6, 2013
Once we would have said, Mr. Pecksniff quitted the firm, betted on the horses, and wetted his whistle, then wedded his sweetheart in a suit that fitted him perfectly.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
The company balked at launching the app widely during a banner year for sports betting, as bugs, personnel problems and compliance issues plagued the rollout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
He recounts betting on himself in his new memoir, “The Steps.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
He's not saying that we are running out of copper, instead Sharp, and many others in the data centre industry, are betting that it will be used less.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The point of this recent academic study is that only during this one week per quarter should you even entertain betting on high-beta stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
“I have very good aim, and I’m betting that you don t.”
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
