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side bet

American  

noun

  1. a bet made, as with another player, in addition to one's principal bet.

    a side bet as to which of us would draw the highest card.

Etymology

Origin of side bet

First recorded in 1890–95

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 bank also made a side bet on California wineries.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2023

With his other hand he pointed at each man wanting a side bet.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2020

Officially known as a "proposition bet" or a side bet, prop bets are placed either before or during a game and usually are not correlated to the outcome of the game.

From Fox News • Jan. 28, 2020

An enormous side bet apparently had been riding all along.

From Golf Digest • Mar. 20, 2019

“How about a side bet? Whoever earns the most homework passes or gets to three first wins.”

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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.