bet
Noun pluralbets
Pluralbets
- 1To risk money or something valuable on the outcome of an event or game, including making a wager in a round of poker.
Thousands of fans bet money on the championship game each year.
She bet a week's wages on the underdog and lost.
UsagePast usually bet (sometimes betted). You bet on an outcome, or bet someone money that something will happen.
Similarwager, gamble, stake, risk
Note
Shakespeare's Second Part of Henry the Fourth says John a Gaunt "betted much money on his head."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- William Shakespeare wrote The Second Part of Henry the Fourth. gutenberg.org
- The play contains the quoted wording about John a Gaunt; Shallow speaks the line. gutenberg.org
She bet him ten dollars that the train would be late.
I'll bet you a coffee it rains before noon.
- 2To feel certain about something; to be able to count on it.
I bet the bus is running behind because of the snow.
You can bet he'll have an excuse ready when he arrives.
UsageMostly in I bet and you bet; you bet on its own is an eager yes. Also you can bet (that).
Note
The wager has turned into a statement of confidence, and no stake changes hands.
- 3An agreement between two parties in which the one who wrongly predicts an outcome pays a stake, usually money, to the other.
He placed a bet on the home team to win the championship.
Their friendly bet over the election results cost him dinner.
UsageYou make or place a bet on something, then win or lose it; you make it with someone.
Note
The core noun has an underworld history. The word surfaces in 16th-century criminal slang, perhaps from Middle English bet, "advantage, luck," and ultimately from Old English bet, "better." If so, a bet began as a hoped-for edge.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The noun appears in sixteenth-century criminal slang. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English bet, meaning advantage or luck, is a proposed source. en.wiktionary.org
- Under that proposed derivation, the word ultimately comes from Old English bet, meaning better. en.wiktionary.org
- 4Something regarded as likely to succeed, prove reliable, or turn out true, such as a choice or a prediction, usually graded by an adjective, as in a safe bet or an even bet.
If you want a table by the window, your best bet is to book a few weeks ahead.
If you want fresh produce, the farmers' market is a good bet.
UsageUsually with an adjective: a safe bet, a good bet, or your best bet is to + verb.
Note
A figurative stretch of the wager: no stake changes hands, and only the odds remain.
It's a safe bet that the meeting will run late.
There's an even bet that the shop will be closed by the time we get there.
- 5A person's guess or prediction about what is true or what will probably happen.
My bet is that the team trades him before the deadline.
Our bet was that the twins would show up late, and sure enough, they walked in after dinner had started.
UsageOften in my bet is (that) or what's your bet.
Similarguess, prediction
Less common meanings
- 6
- 7Used as a reply to say yes, agree, accept a challenge or show you are pleased.
You bringing snacks to the game? Bet.
Let's run it back tomorrow. Bet, same time.
UsageWorks alone as a full reply, often after alright, and can sound cool or even annoyed rather than warm.
Note
North American slang that closes a deal in one syllable, often after alright or aight. N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton (1988) has it right after alright, as a quick agreement. In a 2017 story in The DePaulia, a rebuffed man texts "Bet" back, more annoyed than agreeable.
- 8Another spelling of beth: the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ב) and of related Semitic alphabets.
In Hebrew, bet is the second letter of the alphabet.
The scribe carefully formed each bet in the manuscript.
Note
A spelling of the letter name that stays close to the Hebrew bēt. It is unrelated to the wager and only looks the same. Under its fuller spelling beth, it names the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ב, and its counterparts in Aramaic and Syriac.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The letter name bet comes from Hebrew bēt. en.wiktionary.org
- The letter name and the wager word have separate etymologies. en.wiktionary.org
- Beth names the second Hebrew letter, ב, and the corresponding Aramaic and Syriac letters. en.wiktionary.org
- 9A person or competitor chosen to represent a country or group in an election, pageant, or international sporting event.
- 10A written abbreviation of "between," used in knitting patterns.
Showing meanings only.
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Origins
The word first shows up in 16th-century criminal slang. One possible source is Middle English bet ("something better, advantage, luck"), which came from Old English bet, bett, meaning "better." Another is abet, from Old French abet ("incitement to evil") and the verb abeter ("to entice"), which go back ultimately to Proto-West Germanic *baitijan ("to bait, entice").
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- Bet originated in 16th-century criminal slang. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English bet, meaning something better, advantage or luck, is one proposed source. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English bet derives from Old English bet, bett, meaning better. en.wiktionary.org
- Abet is another proposed source, deriving through Middle English from Old French abet, meaning incitement to evil. en.wiktionary.org
- Old French abet derives from abeter, meaning to entice. en.wiktionary.org
- The proposed French derivation ultimately traces to Proto-West Germanic *baitijan, meaning to bait or entice. en.wiktionary.org
This comes from Hebrew בית (bēt).
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- Bet, the letter name, comes from Hebrew בית (bēt). en.wiktionary.org