even money

noun

1. the equal sum staked by each bettor.

2. equal odds in a wager.

   It's even money that the home team will win.

Other Word Forms

• even-money adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of even money¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Idioms and Phrases

Equal odds that something will occur, as in It's even money that he'll get the contract. The term comes from gambling, where it signifies equal odds in a bet. [Late 1800s]