Dictionary.com
definitions

bet

1
[bet]
|||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bet ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), bet or bet·ted, bet·ting.

to wager with (something or someone).

verb (used without object), bet or bet·ted, bet·ting.

to make a wager: Do you want to bet?

noun

RELATED CONTENT

Gambling Terms To Get AheadRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
atavismRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

pledge, risk, stake, chance, venture, speculation, wager, odds, speculate, raffle, play, plunge, lottery, pot, uncertainty, hazard, action, lot, ante, shot

Nearby words

  1. bestrew,
  2. bestride,
  3. bestrow,
  4. bestseller,
  5. bestud,
  6. bet on the wrong horse,
  7. bet one's ass,
  8. bet.,
  9. beta,
  10. beta blocker

Idioms

    you bet! Informal. of course! surely!: You bet I'd like to be there!

Origin of bet

1
1585–95; perhaps special use of obsolete bet better, in phrase the bet the advantage, i.e., the odds

bet

2
[beyt; bet]

noun

beth.

BET

Trademark.

Black Entertainment Television: a cable television channel.

bet.

between.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bet

British Dictionary definitions for bet

bet

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 agreementhis bet was that the horse would win
a person, event, etc, considered as likely to succeed or occurit's a good bet that they will succeed
a course of action (esp in the phrase one's best bet)
informal an opinion; viewmy bet is that you've been up to no good

verb bets, betting, bet or betted

(when intr foll by on or against) to make or place a bet with (a person or persons)
(tr) to stake (money, etc) in a bet
(tr; may take a clause as object) informal to predict (a certain outcome)I bet she fails
you bet informal of course; naturally

Word Origin for bet

C16: probably short for abet
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bet

bet

1590s, as both a verb and noun, in the argot of petty criminals, of unknown origin; probably a shortening of abet or else from obsolete beet "to make good," from Old English bætan "make better, arouse, stimulate," from Proto-Germanic *baitjanan, in which case the verb would be the original. The original notion is perhaps "to improve" a contest by wagering on it, or it is from the "bait" sense in abet. Used since 1852 in various American English slang assertions (cf. you bet "be assured," 1857). Related: Betting.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with bet

bet

In addition to the idioms beginning with bet

  • bet one's ass
  • bet on the wrong horse

also see:

  • back (bet on) the wrong horse
  • hedge one's bets
  • you bet your ass
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.