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
By then Bowyer had dropped all pretense of presenting himself as anything but a bookie.
—David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
That’s a clear expectation from bookies and the marketplace that the Niners are expected to be a playoff team this year.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
The money delivered to bookies was from Ohtani's bank account.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
The bookmaker’s challenge, from the beginning, was simple: if too much money poured in on the favorite, the bookie risked ruin.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookie
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025
That’s a clear expectation from bookies and the marketplace that the Niners are expected to be a playoff team this year.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
The money delivered to bookies was from Ohtani's bank account.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
The bookmaker’s challenge, from the beginning, was simple: if too much money poured in on the favorite, the bookie risked ruin.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookie
Cite this Entry
“Bookie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookie. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share