bookie
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does bookie mean? A bookie is a person whose business is accepting other people’s gambling bets, such as on sporting events. It can also refer to a company that does this. Bookie is the common, informal name for a bookmaker. The word book in bookmaker refers to a record of bets. The word bookie is associated with illegal betting operations, especially those run by organized crime groups. However, being a bookie can be done legally. Still, as modern sports betting becomes more widespread, sophisticated, and run by large businesses, the image of a bookie as a shady person writing down bets by hand in a book is likely on the decline. Example: I got a hot tip on a horse—I better call my bookie!
Etymology
Origin of bookie
First recorded in 1880–85; book(maker) + -ie
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.
The bucket shop occupied a similar gray zone as the local bookie.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
A bookie needs to close the betting window to this fan while keeping it open an optimal bit longer for fans watching on a screen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
With the Proteas recommencing their first innings on the fifth day Cronje - prompted by a bookie named Marlon Aronstam - contrived an unprecedented innings forfeiture for both sides to ensure a result.
From BBC • Jul. 30, 2025
Being in debt can unquestionably make you less safe even if the threat is a lack of health care or housing, not a bookie.
From Slate • Dec. 20, 2024
Cornell fans rushed up the hill to the town’s principal bookie and demanded, and were paid, their winnings.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
