bet
verb (used with object)
to wager with (something or someone).
Showing results for "bet"
- a variation of beth.
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Slang dictionary results for bet.
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betes.
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
[bayt, 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
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the predicted result in such an agreement
his bet was that the horse would win
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a person, event, etc, considered as likely to succeed or occur
it's a good bet that they will succeed
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a course of action (esp in the phrase one's best bet )
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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)
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(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
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are bettingprogressive
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is bettingprogressive
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have been bettingperfect progressive
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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:
Between May and July of last year, Polymarket users bet nearly $798,000 on the verdict of the Diddy sex trafficking trial.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
“If I asked you to make a list of 10 things you could do wrong, I’ll bet you they did every one,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
One $19 bet was placed around 10:43 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Put the three tabs side by side, and they turn out to be the same bet.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Emma and I didn’t cause this mess, but I bet Melanie and Hannah would appreciate a clean home.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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
The research team had previously shown that drugs known as BET bromodomain inhibitors can interfere with pathways that allow prostate cancer cells to activate alternative identity programs.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
The concert has all of the energy of a 2000s MTV “Spring Break” or BET Spring Bling special.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 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
“End of May, beginning of June is probably a safe bet. Something like that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2026
“It’s a bet. That’s what it is, and it doesn’t look or feel any different than that.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 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
“Of course I will. She won’t even be mad, I bet. Your mom isn’t the mad type.”
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
In both cases, the bets were available on an offshore platform run by Polymarket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
"Most people have got bets on when we're coming back," Dani said, laughing.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Pimco’s Dan Ivascyn this week told the Financial Times that the 10-year Treasury yield could hit 6% if highly leveraged investors have to suddenly unwind losing bets after weeks of heavy selling.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Inside her bets on “The Roman,” “The Body” and first-time showrunners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
He always bets when he is angered, and so he usually bets foolishly.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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
One of the nation’s most prominent legal venues—the federal trial court in Manhattan—has attracted at least two notable betting markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
This week in the Don’t Short Yourself newsletter, Genna Contino described Kalshi’s attempt to drum up interest in betting on who will win “Dancing with the Stars.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
But Swain and others are betting that it’s unlikely this winter will be boring for California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
So think twice before betting on that long shot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Bentley had chosen New Haven over the much larger FBI office near her home in New York City, betting that she could avoid being followed by Russian agents.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
