bet
verb/bet/
/bet/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they bet | /bet/ /bet/ |
| he / she / it bets | /bets/ /bets/ |
| past simple bet | /bet/ /bet/ |
| past participle bet | /bet/ /bet/ |
| -ing form betting | /ˈbetɪŋ/ /ˈbetɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to risk money on a race or an event by trying to predict the result
- You have to be over 16 to bet.
- bet on/against somebody/something doing something I wouldn't bet on them winning the next election.
- Not many people are betting against France retaining their title.
- bet on/against something He likes betting on horses and watching table tennis.
- bet something on something He bet $2 000 on the final score of the game.
- bet something You shouldn't praise a gambler for betting his life savings if he wins.
- bet somebody something (that) She bet me £20 (that) I wouldn't do it.
- bet somebody (that) I bet her (that) the Democrats would not win.
- bet something (that) He bet ten dollars (that) he could write a complete story in just six words.
Definitions on the go
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- [transitive] (informal) used to say that you are almost certain that something is true or that something will happen
- bet (that)… I bet (that) we’re too late.
- You can bet (that) the moment I sit down, the baby will wake up.
- I'm willing to bet (that) the analysts will be wrong.
- bet somebody (that)… I’ll bet you (that) he knows all about it.
More Like This Verbs with two objectsVerbs with two objectsTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyb2, Opinion and argumentb2
Word Originlate 16th cent.: perhaps a shortening of the obsolete noun abet ‘abetment’.
Idioms
See bet in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarybet the farm/ranch on something
- (North American English, informal) to risk everything you have on an investment, a bet, etc.
- The company bet the farm on the new marketing model, only to find that it wasn’t successful.
I/I’ll bet! (informal)
- used to show that you can understand what somebody is feeling, describing, etc.
- ‘I nearly died when he told me.’ ‘I bet!’
- used to tell somebody that you do not believe what they have just said
- ‘I'm going to tell her what I think of her.’ ‘Yeah, I bet!’
I wouldn’t bet on it | don’t bet on it
- (informal) used to say that you do not think that something is very likely
- ‘She'll soon get used to the idea.’ ‘I wouldn't bet on it.’
you bet!
- (informal) used instead of ‘yes’ to emphasize that somebody has guessed something correctly or made a good suggestion
- ‘Are you nervous?’ ‘You bet!’
you can bet your life/your bottom dollar (on something/(that)…)
- (informal) used to say that you are certain that something will happen
- You can bet your bottom dollar that he'll be late.
Check pronunciation:
bet