bookie
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does bookie mean? A bookie is a person whose business is accepting other people’s gambling bets, such as on sporting events. It can also refer to a company that does this.Bookie is the common, informal name for a bookmaker. The word book in bookmaker refers to a record of bets.The word bookie is associated with illegal betting operations, especially those run by organized crime groups. However, being a bookie can be done legally. Still, as modern sports betting becomes more widespread, sophisticated, and run by large businesses, the image of a bookie as a shady person writing down bets by hand in a book is likely on the decline.Example: I got a hot tip on a horse—I better call my bookie!
Etymology
Origin of bookie
First recorded in 1880–85; book(maker) + -ie
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A star running back, Reggie was banned from football 20 years earlier after he mixed up two phone numbers and called into a sports show thinking he was talking to his bookie.
From Los Angeles Times
And his team-mate George Russell - the bookies' pre-season championship favourite - was also impressively quick when running in the hotter, slower conditions earlier in the day.
From BBC
"We don't pay much attention to bookies' odds. One of the beauties of rugby is that on any given day, anything can happen," said Underhill.
From Barron's
Jenrick said his decision had put "personal ambition to one side", adding that he had been the "bookies favourite" to be the next leader of the Tory Party.
From BBC
For now, it’s the bookies that are taking the biggest hit from prediction markets’ rise.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
