bookie
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does bookie mean? A bookie is a person whose business is accepting other people’s gambling bets, such as on sporting events. It can also refer to a company that does this. Bookie is the common, informal name for a bookmaker. The word book in bookmaker refers to a record of bets. The word bookie is associated with illegal betting operations, especially those run by organized crime groups. However, being a bookie can be done legally. Still, as modern sports betting becomes more widespread, sophisticated, and run by large businesses, the image of a bookie as a shady person writing down bets by hand in a book is likely on the decline. Example: I got a hot tip on a horse—I better call my bookie!
Etymology
Origin of bookie
First recorded in 1880–85; book(maker) + -ie
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.
The bucket shop occupied a similar gray zone as the local bookie.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
A bookie needs to close the betting window to this fan while keeping it open an optimal bit longer for fans watching on a screen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
A star running back, Reggie was banned from football 20 years earlier after he mixed up two phone numbers and called into a sports show thinking he was talking to his bookie.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
Being in debt can unquestionably make you less safe even if the threat is a lack of health care or housing, not a bookie.
From Slate • Dec. 20, 2024
"There's something I didn't write down. Maybe I shouldn't tell you, you being a judge and all, but, well, Jake Wexler . . . he's a bookie."
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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.
