bookie

noun

book·​ie ˈbu̇-kē How to pronounce bookie (audio)
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
Funnily 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

Examples of bookie in a Sentence

Their bookie is giving good odds.
Recent Examples on the Web During that period, Mizuhara had winning bets of at least $142 million and losing bets of nearly $183 million — leaving him owing the bookie around $40 million. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024 Ryan was named in court documents and news reports in May as an associate of the Orange County bookie with whom $16 million of Ohtani’s money was bet – without his knowledge or permission. Peter Larsen, Orange County Register, 12 July 2024 Half a dozen bookies have set up shop beside the track. Yannic Rack, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 July 2024 On the show, Maniscalco’s Danny lives in a current world where the old trade independent bookies are competing against online gambling ala Draft Kings. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for bookie 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bookie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

by shortening & alteration

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bookie was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near bookie

Cite this Entry

“Bookie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookie. Accessed 7 Sep. 2024.

Legal Definition

bookie

noun
book·​ie ˈbu̇-kē How to pronounce bookie (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on bookie

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