plural bookies
informal
: a person who determines gambling odds and receives and pays off bets : bookmaker
The "line"—the Vikings over the Giants by four points, for example—establishes the point spread that the bookie believes will attract gamblers in equal numbers to each side of the bet.—
Jack El-Hai
Jack El-HaiFunnily enough, I was never anxious to win one of these bets. I didn't want to collect from the bookie on any of them.—Art Buchwald
Art BuchwaldExamples of bookie in a Sentence
Their bookie is giving good odds.
Recent Examples on the Web
These sums did not include all the money gambled with bookies or at offshore, online casinos that skirted U.S. gambling regulations.
— Made By History, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Most sports are able to place a bet on their phone or mobile device without ever having to step into a casino or talk to a bookie in a dark alley.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025
According to the bookies, Leicester City have the best chance of a victory among these sides, making Ruud van Nistelrooy (£0.5m) a possible option at the King Power Stadium.
—Holly Shand, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
His first few months as Chelsea’s head coach served as a proverbial middle finger to the suggestion — and bookies’ odds — that Enzo Maresca could be the first head coach to lose his job this season.
—Elias Burke, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
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Made By History, TIME, 20 Mar. 2025
Most sports are able to place a bet on their phone or mobile device without ever having to step into a casino or talk to a bookie in a dark alley.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025
According to the bookies, Leicester City have the best chance of a victory among these sides, making Ruud van Nistelrooy (£0.5m) a possible option at the King Power Stadium.
—Holly Shand, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
His first few months as Chelsea’s head coach served as a proverbial middle finger to the suggestion — and bookies’ odds — that Enzo Maresca could be the first head coach to lose his job this season.
—Elias Burke, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookie
Cite this Entry
“Bookie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookie. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
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