bets 1 of 2

Definition of betsnext
plural of bet
1
as in stakes
the money or thing risked on the outcome of an uncertain event she offered the bet of a free lunch if her team won the World Series

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2

bets

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bet
as in wagers
to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event foolishly bet a week's salary on the World Series

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bets
Noun
These were the sole bets made on Polymarket through these accounts. Ken Sweet, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026 Just look at the other contending teams right now, some of them much better bets to win it all at this point than the Knicks are, and with good reason. Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026 Groups placed small bets with each other, sometimes based on nothing more than a name or a lucky number. Michael Howes, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2026 In recent years, romantic comedies have been positioned as risky theatrical bets, with most rom-coms heading straight to streaming. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026 Inside the White House, staffers were formally warned to stop placing insider bets on commodity indexes and prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026 The White House reportedly sent a staff-wide email warning against placing trades and bets using confidential information. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Apr. 2026 Some mention of bonus bets that whiffs of free money. Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026 So yeah, bigger bets on hydrogen fuel cells weren't on my 2026 bingo card. New Atlas, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
The prediction market’s CEO, Tarek Mansour, told CNBC that bets on Bad Bunny’s first song alone exceeded $100 million in volume. Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026 If a new account opens and immediately bets on a single player micro-market, that’s suspicious. Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025 Similarly, if an existing account that typically bets $50 on certain games suddenly places a $1,000 bet, that outlier behavior could trigger an investigation. Dian Zhang, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025 Told no at every turn, Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bets
Noun
  • Often, Juburi and Barnard told me, children from non-Spanish-speaking countries have been asked to translate for their parents in high-stakes interactions with ICE officers, owing to Dilley’s limited interpretation services.
    Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
  • What starts as a series that aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn – amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics, and explosive action – gives birth to an exploration of what drives us, sustains us, and ultimately destroys us.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • General Daily Insight for April 15, 2026 When the mood shifts, the same choices feel different.
    Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
  • An elite soldier with a fraying mind is sent deep into a wartime nightmare, and the sweaty performances, bold musical choices, and beautiful cinematography take us there.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • To that end, Kalshi insists states are preempted by a federal law, the Commodity Exchange Act, from enforcing their gambling laws on exchanges that offer sports prediction market wagers.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Because wagers are offered for shots on goal, they are looked at and reviewed meticulously.
    Stephen Whyno, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Join MyRecipes—your personal home for recipes—to easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place.
    Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
  • In between there’s the elevated-casual Mistral for al fresco Mediterranean favorites like rack of lamb and seared scallops; the Evrima Room for white-table-cloth dining with wine pairings; and Talaat Nam for Thai-fusion and sushi options.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Competition, alliances, and egos collide as this group puts public reputations on the line, testing players’ self-reliance, problem-solving, and grit, per the logline.
    Peter White, Deadline, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Even Bahrain, the smallest Gulf economy, regularly puts the equivalent of more than 3% of GDP into its military.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • With four picks in the top 89 selections, the Chicago Bears’ challenge in the NFL draft can be viewed as a jigsaw puzzle for GM Ryan Poles.
    Arnie Stapleton, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2026
  • On The Mountain The duo Dyad — violinist Niv Ashkenazi and bassoonist Leah Kohn — performs their own arrangements of selections from Ernest Bloch, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Niccolo Paganini, Irving Berlin, Bruce Babcock, Johann Sebastian Bach, Camille Saint-Saëns and George Gershwin.
    Arts Editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026

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“Bets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bets. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.

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