point spread

noun

: the number of points by which an oddsmaker expects a favorite to defeat an underdog

Examples of point spread in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But most bets on the outcome of games involve a point spread, some number of points the favorite needs to win by. David Hill, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 For the seventy years that legal sports betting was confined to Nevada, most of the action focussed on which teams would win or at least cover the point spread. Danny Funt, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2025 Rather than simply betting on the outcome or point spread of games, gamblers can now use their betting apps to place live prop bets minute by minute within the game. David French, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025 Back when legal American sports betting was mostly confined to Las Vegas, the standard bets tended to be tied to picking a winner or which team would cover a point spread. John Affleck, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for point spread

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of point spread was in 1941

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Cite this Entry

“Point spread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/point%20spread. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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