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
-
betsimple
-
betssimple
-
have betperfect
-
have bettedperfect
-
has betperfect
-
has bettedperfect
-
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:
He added that “Elon bulls” will buy the dip in a bet on shares rebounding.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Gallium nitride chargers, a lighter-weight but often pricier option, are also a solid bet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
And with a home men's Euros in two years, you would not bet against it continuing.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
California cardrooms welcomed a court decision to let them continue to allow visitors to bet on blackjack, one of their most lucrative games.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
“What a great little town. I bet the sunsets here are incredible.”
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
The 2026 BET Awards brought music, comedy and community to the Peacock Theater on Sunday night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
BET inhibitors were designed to block a shared feature that all BET proteins use to attach to chromatin, the tightly packed structure of DNA and proteins where genes are stored and controlled.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2026
Prior to joining the Journal, Annie designed for the Associated Press, BET, and Comedy Central, where she created art for legacy shows such as "The Daily Show."
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
“Anderson was like, ‘Do you know anything about BET, son?’
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 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
Weeks later, Betts came across a tweet that read: “Hey @Dodgers @mookiebetts @SportsNetLA a bet is a bet. Meet Francesca Mookie Mancuso” with a picture of the newborn and her birth certificate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
"There are four or five teams within 0.2-0.3secs this year, I bet. That will put you within 0.2secs fighting for podiums or outside the top 10."
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2024
“Okay, John Henry may be our best bet. We need to talk to his spirit. We either look for his haint or conjure his ghost.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
It found that prediction markets are unduly influenced by their biggest traders, and these so-called “whales” do worse, on average, than those who place smaller bets.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Yes, record volume in options and leveraged funds means individual traders are in love with lottery ticket-like bets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Daniel Sotiroff, Morningstar’s associate director of ETF and passive-strategies research, said that leveraged ETFs may entice individual investors to gamble and that they’ll end up with big losses if their bets go the wrong way.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
The moderation in oil prices caused bond traders to back off bets on inflation and an imminent interest-rate hike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The Wall Street bond traders on the other end of the phone from Howie Hubler came away with the impression that he considered these bets entirely risk-free.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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 cost of betting on the market’s hottest corner reflects serious concern.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Investors are betting there is about a 1 in 4 chance the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at its next policy meeting at the end of July.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
While creators break into the mainstream, their representatives say traditional companies are growing more comfortable betting on digital stars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
All these are adorable accessories to the character’s brave insistence on betting on herself in a world of naysayers set on diminishing her brightness.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
“I’m betting Dante’s going to encourage Legs to chew up all his shoes.”
From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz
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.
