bet
/bɛt
/verb (bets, betting; past and past participle bet or betted)
1 [no object] Risk a sum of money or valued item against someone else’s on the basis of the outcome of an unpredictable event such as a race or game: he bet on baseball games [with clause]: I would be prepared to bet that he wanted to leave [with object]: most people would bet their life savings on the prospect...
- The losing trialist also scored a hefty reward, from betting on himself to win his heat and se mi-final as well as from the money he was allowed to bet on the race winner at long odds.
- The Racing Act was amended to provide for cross-species wagering - betting on greyhound races at horse tracks and vice versa.
- Prosecutors said he also ran an illegal gambling operation that bet on professional baseball games.
Synonyms
wager, gamble, stake, risk, venture, hazard, chance, lay down, put, place;
lay money, put money, lay bets, speculate, try one's luck
informal punt
British informal have a flutter, chance one's arm
1.1 [with object and clause] Risk a sum of money against (someone) on the outcome or likelihood of a future event: [with two objects]: I bet you £15 you won’t chat her up...
- I praised him to encourage him, but then wished I hadn't when he bet me his pocket money that he could beat me.
- Giles was so confident in his boast, that he actually bet us money that he was right.
- But at this point I will bet you a substantial sum of money.
2 [with clause] informal Used to express certainty: I bet this place is really spooky late at night he’ll be surprised to see me, I’ll bet...
- I bet that idea would make a lot of property developers very happy, from their luxury homes in Port Douglas…
- I bet that Belgian's going to get into trouble with the Mini Owner's Association…
- You have to love that last line. I bet that defense goes over REAL big at their war crime trials.
Synonyms
be certain, be sure, be convinced, be confident;
expect, predict
British informal put one's shirt on
noun
1An act of betting a sum of money: she had a bet on the Derby for a bet he once rode 200 miles in nine hours...
- A quinella is a bet on the first two horses; it is not, as some people believe, a Mexican cheese pie.
- Seven years ago I wouldn't have wagered a bet on him still playing rugby at the age of 30.
- For once-a-year punters who do not want to go to a betting shop, placing a bet on the world's most famous steeplechase can be done from the comfort of an armchair these days.
Synonyms
wager, stake, gamble, ante;
each-way bet, place bet, ante-post bet, daily double, side bet, Yankee;
British accumulator, tricast;
North American perfecta, quinella, trifecta
informal long shot
British informal flutter, punt
bet, gamble, speculation, venture, game of chance;
stake, pledge, hazard, ante
British informal flutter
1.1A sum of money staked: the bookies are taking bets on his possible successor...
- The stake was a bet of £1 that he would beat his opponent.
- The stakes of the bet are low - for us - but for them, they're very high.
- First, I was forced to quit my job, but then I found a way to earn lot's of money by placing bets on the foreign currency markets.
1.2 [with adjective] informal A candidate or option offering a specified likelihood of success: City looked a good bet for victory your best bet is to call the official liquidators...
- But as MD of one of the country's major construction companies, MacDonald has to be a good bet to achieve success with these ambitious plans.
- If you can't stomach him, the Green candidate is probably a good bet.
- When Ebay bought the successful Chinese internet auction house Eachnet they made a good bet.
Synonyms
option, choice, alternative, course of action, plan
1.3 (one's bet) informal One’s opinion about a future event: my bet is that Arsenal won’t win anything...
- My bet is that Ebay will be sweating from the competition in a year or two.
- I am not an expert on figuring out if the video has been tampered with or not, but my bet is that the YouTube video has been tampered.
- My bet is that the Court will issue a stay based on him, for the same reasons from which, as Simon noted earlier, the Justice dissented in another recent case.
Synonyms
prediction, forecast, guess;
opinion, belief, feeling, view, theory
Phrases
all bets are off
bet the farm
don't (or I wouldn't) bet on it
want to bet?
you bet
Origin
Late 16th century: perhaps a shortening of the obsolete noun abet 'abetment'.