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Glite Dictionary
to bet on

to bet on

290 3.7
To risk money guessing which result will happen
  • phrasal verb
  • /bɛt ɑn/
: apostar por
  • My bookie is the right place to bet on football every weekend.
  • bet on a horse

To save their business, they're betting on malls.

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Examples

Synonyms

to bet
vsto bet on
508 1.5

To risk money on the result of an event

is the same risk expressed as a short phrase
to take chances
vsto bet on
412 3.8

Do something risky hoping to do well

refers to risking valuables to predict a specific outcome not general repeated risks
to take a chance
vsto bet on
136 3.3

To do something risky hoping for a good result

is about risking valuables to predict an event outcome rather than general risk
to gamble
vsto bet on
115 4.0

To take a risk hoping for a good result

involves specifically risking valuables to predict an event or success
to stake
vsto bet on
42 5.3

To risk money or something valuable on the result of an event

focuses on risking money or valuables specifically for a prediction
to wager
vsto bet on
29 4.4

To risk money on the result of a game or event

is the same risk expressed as a short phrase
to take a gamble
vsto bet on
11 4.2

To do something risky hoping to get a good result

focuses on risking valuables to predict an outcome rather than general risky acts
to punt
vsto bet on
  • UK
4 7.6

To bet money on the result of a sports event

is used for any event or success prediction not only sports

Antonyms

to withdraw
94 3.5

To take money or things out of a place where they are kept

to abstain
29 5.0

To choose not to take something, often for health or religious reasons

How Certain

to count on
602 1.8
to bet on
290 3.7

Surface Forms

bet on infinitive
betting on present participle
bets on third person singular
bet on past
bet on past participle

Morphology

bet + on

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'bet' (to wager) plus the preposition 'on' indicating the target or choice — a standard verb+preposition composition that signals placing a wager or backing something. This construction is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Bet on may come from the image of putting money down on a horse or a game's result, where you place a bet on the thing you think will win. So, bet on now means 'to risk money or something valuable predicting a result or supporting someone's success'.