Meaning & use
spread bet
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablefinance
A bet on whether the value of something will be higher or lower than a range set by the bookmaker.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a spread bet' or 'spread bets'.
Patterns
- place a spread bet on something
- a spread bet on the stock market
He placed a spread bet on the price of oil.
Spread bets can lead to large losses if the market moves against you.
She made a spread bet that the team would win by more than ten points.
verbintransitivefinance
To make a bet of this type.
Grammar: No object: you spread bet on something, not spread bet something.
Patterns
- spread bet on something
They spread bet on currency movements.
He likes to spread bet on football matches.
Word forms
| plural | spread bets |
|---|---|
| third person singular | spread bets |
| past tense | spread bet |
| past participle | spread bet |
| -ing form | spread betting |
Common combinations
- place a spread bet
- I placed a spread bet on the election result.
- spread bet on the market
- Traders spread bet on the market every day.
- lose money on a spread bet
- He lost a lot of money on a spread bet last year.
- spread betting firm
- She works for a spread betting firm in London.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wager
- A more general word for any bet; it does not specify the spread mechanism.
- financial bet
- Broader term that can include fixed-odds as well as spread bets.
Word family
- spread betting noun
- The activity of making spread bets.
- spread better noun
- A person who places spread bets.
Commonly confused: spread bet or fixed-odds bet?
spread bet vs fixed-odds bet
A fixed-odds bet has a set payout, while a spread bet's payout changes with the size of the movement.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'spread bet' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Spread bet' as a noun takes 'place a ... bet on something', so option B is correct. Option A uses the verb form but needs 'on' after it; option C uses 'spread betting' as a verb, which is not standard; option D uses 'spread bet' with a direct object, which is wrong for an intransitive verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spread bet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.