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
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all bets are off. see all bets are off.
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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
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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:
O’Leary: With tech, it’s very hard to know which horse to bet on.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Aggarwal wasn’t yet convinced he had to bet the business on it, figuring Rattle would endure with just a dollop of AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
After his victory, the super PAC boasted “Crypto’s big bet pays off.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
He says investors judging SpaceX purely as an AI bet are missing the point: "They're not just a compute provider. They're not just an AI company. It's a far more complicated picture than that."
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
I hope you aren’t too worried about us, though I bet you are.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
He also made plays for Tegna and BET.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
This strategy relied on a major assumption that all BET proteins behave similarly.
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
The self-made comedy renaissance man used sketch comedy as a vehicle to find success on BET, social media, books and touring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 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
"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
“Sound asleep in the cab. Dreaming of other dimensions, I bet. Pardon me for asking, but what are you doing out here on the road?”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Oil prices extended hefty gains Tuesday as hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz fade, fanning fresh inflation fears and ramping up bets on at least one US interest rate hike this year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
To be sure, it is still early in the month, and McElligott expects this figure to normalize as August continues on — unless investors continue to pile into bullish bets.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
But all bets are off if you use growth and value funds that track indexes from different providers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
On Friday morning, traders slightly pared back their bets that the Fed will raise interest rates next month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Doesn’t he get it that if someone lines up people to place bets on your “time-to-cry” you might decide to zip your real self up and not come out again?
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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
He started Plugable and betted big that depending on Amazon would turn his idea into a business.
From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2019
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
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
A spokesperson for the industry body added it was "simply wrong" to suggest that betting shops are spreading "unchecked", adding around 3,000 shops have closed since 2019.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
They are betting that developers facing community pushback from Maine to Arizona will be drawn to the Permian’s abundant land, cheap energy and business friendly climate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Burnham said "the rise of vape shops, betting shops and rogue operators have replaced the shops, services, and community spaces that people are crying out for".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Riley is betting big on that translating to the Trojans’ defense this fall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Players had five dice and three rounds to earn points, with betting before each of the rounds.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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.
