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
To overcome this, the team designed MD-FSS to speed up how point spread function (PSF) measurements are made—the 3D image of a point-like object seen under a microscope.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for point spread
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.
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for point spread
Cite this Entry
“Point spread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/point%20spread. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share