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
The comedy starred Sebastian Maniscalco as Danny Colavito, a veteran bookie fighting to survive the legalization of sports gambling in Los Angeles.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025
That first day, the bookie staked Reisman in a series of money matches, came out $125 ahead, and sent the young Reisman home with $5.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
Several states have sued, accusing the company of functioning, in essence, as an unlicensed bookie.
—Danny Funt, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Miami is nobody’s bet to rally for a playoff spot, unless Dolfan Denny (look it up, kids) has found a bookie up in heaven.
—Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bookie
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Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025
That first day, the bookie staked Reisman in a series of money matches, came out $125 ahead, and sent the young Reisman home with $5.
—Julien Levy, Rolling Stone, 27 Dec. 2025
Several states have sued, accusing the company of functioning, in essence, as an unlicensed bookie.
—Danny Funt, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Miami is nobody’s bet to rally for a playoff spot, unless Dolfan Denny (look it up, kids) has found a bookie up in heaven.
—Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 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 31 Dec. 2025.
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