bookmaker

noun

book·​mak·​er ˈbu̇k-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce bookmaker (audio)
1
: a printer, binder, or designer of books
2
: a person who determines odds and receives and pays off bets
bookmaking noun

Examples of bookmaker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For sports bettors and bookmakers, the start of the holiday season at Thanksgiving is also the busiest sports betting week of the year. Jay Ginsbach, Forbes, 1 Dec. 2024 Burgum was another name bookmakers linked to Trump's 2024 ticket before Vance got the nod. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2024 Before the international break, after back-to-back league defeats for City, Liverpool were priced as favourites by some bookmakers but, yesterday morning, one comparison website showed City being backed to retain their title on 14 of 27 accounts. Simon Hughes, The Athletic, 20 Nov. 2024 The Herons were bookmakers’ favorites in both games against an Atlanta side that needed to win three consecutive matches just to scrape into this Round One series. Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bookmaker 

Word History

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bookmaker was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bookmaker

Cite this Entry

“Bookmaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookmaker. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

bookmaker

noun
book·​mak·​er ˈbu̇k-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce bookmaker (audio)
: a person who receives and pays off bets

Legal Definition

bookmaker

noun
book·​mak·​er ˈbu̇k-ˌmā-kər How to pronounce bookmaker (audio)
: a person who determines odds and receives and pays off bets

called also bookie

More from Merriam-Webster on bookmaker

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