bet

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of gambling

   I did it on a bet.

2. 2
   verb

   to have faith or confidence in

   I bet my team is going to win on Saturday.

3. 3
   verb

   to maintain with or as if with a bet

   I bet they will be there!

4. 4
   verb

   to stake on the outcome of an issue

   I bet $100 on the new horse to win the race.

5. 5
   noun

   A wager, an agreement between two parties that a stake (usually money) will be paid by the loser to the winner (the winner being the one who correctly forecast the outcome of an event).

   Dylan owes Fletcher $30 from an unsuccessful bet.

6. 6
   noun

   Indicating a degree of certainty, or that something can be relied upon.

   It’s a safe bet that it will rain tomorrow.

7. 7
   verb

   To stake or pledge upon the outcome of an event; to wager.

   I('ll) bet I can run faster than you.

8. 8
   verb

   To be sure of something; to be able to count on something.

   Fancy going for a drink after work? / You bet I do!

Etymology

From 16th-century criminal slang, perhaps from Middle English bet (“something better, advantage, luck”), from Old English bet, bett (“better”, adverb); or, alternatively from abet, from Middle English abet, abette, from Old French abet (“incitement to evil”), from Old French abeter (“to entice”), from a- (“to”) + beter (“hound on, urge, to bait”); ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *baitijan (“to bait, entice”), related to Old English bǣtan (“to bait”). More at abet.