1
a
: something that is laid, staked, or pledged typically between two parties on the outcome of a contest or a contingent issue : wager
—often used figuratively in such phrases as all bets are off to stress the uncertainty of an outcome
b
: the act of giving such a pledge
2
: something to wager on
3
: a choice made by consideration of probabilities
your best bet is the back road
bet also betted; betting
1
a
: to stake on the outcome of an issue or the performance of a contestant
b
: to be able to be sure that
—usually used in the expression you bet
you bet I'll be there
2
a
: to maintain with or as if with a bet
b
: to make a bet with
c
: to make a bet on
: to lay a bet
between
Synonyms
Examples of bet in a Sentence
Noun
He has a bet on the game.
He made a bet with his brother that he could finish his chores first.
He and his brother have a bet about who can finish his chores first.
He lost the bet and had to pay his brother five dollars.
His brother won the bet.
He paid his brother five dollars to settle the bet.
Verb
He bet $5 on the game.
I'll bet that he makes the next shot.
He always bets that the favorite will win.
He lost a lot of money by betting on college football and basketball.
I bet against the favorite and I lost.
I wouldn't bet against her. She's very likely to win this race.
Carmakers are betting that people will want to buy larger, more expensive cars this year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
Check out the full Survivor 47 cast and place your bets now.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2024
Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
Executives from FanDuel, Fanatics, DraftKings and Sportradar, a firm that provides data to sportsbooks, spoke at CNBC x Boardroom’s Game Plan sports business event on Tuesday afternoon, discussing state taxes, new betting trends and the companies’ obligations to police safe betting practices.
—Jake Piazza, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bet 
Noun
Dodgers Betting And Return Of Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto Major League Baseball betting and prop bets continue to be most popular, and Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts brought Dodgers fans to their feet last night with his 17th home run of the season.
—Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024
Check out the full Survivor 47 cast and place your bets now.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2024
Verb
Surprising Fact While the betting markets believe the election remains fairly close, this is a strong consensus among bettors that Harris won the debate.
—Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
Executives from FanDuel, Fanatics, DraftKings and Sportradar, a firm that provides data to sportsbooks, spoke at CNBC x Boardroom’s Game Plan sports business event on Tuesday afternoon, discussing state taxes, new betting trends and the companies’ obligations to police safe betting practices.
—Jake Piazza, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bet
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bet
Cite this Entry
“Bet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bet. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bet
1 of 2 noun1
: an agreement requiring the person whose guess about the result of a contest or the outcome of an event proves wrong to give something to a person whose guess proves right
2
: the money or thing risked
3
: a choice made by considering what might happen
our best bet is to take the back road
bet
2 of 2 verb
bet also betted; betting
1
: to risk in a bet
I'll bet a nickel
2
: to make a bet with
I bet you he won't
3
: to be certain enough to bet
I bet it will rain
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share