betta
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of betta
1925–30; < New Latin < ?
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.
As in most of the director’s movies, the characters behave like preening betta fish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Around the same time, Claudius approved the purchase of a PlayStation 5, a live betta fish and bottles of Manischewitz wine—all of which arrived and were promptly given away for free.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
At first she kept every angelfish, betta and gourami.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
Petqua, a pet store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is now the temporary home of two guinea pigs, three turtles and a tiny school of betta fish, all recently relinquished by their owners.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2022
"Boy, you betta get your behind on up to that school."
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
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.
