plural bookies
informal
: a person who determines gambling odds and receives and pays off bets : bookmaker
The "line"—the Vikings over the Giants by four points, for example—establishes the point spread that the bookie believes will attract gamblers in equal numbers to each side of the bet.—
Jack El-Hai
Jack El-HaiFunnily enough, I was never anxious to win one of these bets. I didn't want to collect from the bookie on any of them.—Art Buchwald
Art BuchwaldExamples of bookie in a Sentence
Their bookie is giving good odds.
Recent Examples on the Web
Two decades later, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Baltimore Colts quarterback Art Schlichter—who was physically threatened for failing to pay his bookies and sought FBI protection—for betting on games during the 1982 season.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 June 2026
His loan shark then asks him to execute the titular killing of a Chinese bookie in exchange for wiping away his new debt, but things become complicated when Cosmo learns the true identity of the bookie, leading to a chaotic series of events.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
The revelation is part of an early picture starting to emerge of a tangled web of bookies, bettors and alleged, if ineffective, enforcers.
—Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026
The bookies on Fremont Street are busy counting chickens.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
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Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 June 2026
His loan shark then asks him to execute the titular killing of a Chinese bookie in exchange for wiping away his new debt, but things become complicated when Cosmo learns the true identity of the bookie, leading to a chaotic series of events.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
The revelation is part of an early picture starting to emerge of a tangled web of bookies, bettors and alleged, if ineffective, enforcers.
—Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2026
The bookies on Fremont Street are busy counting chickens.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bookie
Cite this Entry
“Bookie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookie. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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