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bail3

Pronunciation: /beɪl/
(British also bale)
Translate bail | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bail

verb

  • 1 [with object] scoop water out of (a ship or boat):the first priority is to bail out the boat with buckets
  • scoop (water) out of a ship or boat: I started to use my hands to bail out the water
  • 2 [no object] (bail on) North American informal let (someone) down:he looks a little like the other guy that bailed on me

Phrasal Verbs

bail out

make an emergency parachute descent from an aircraft.
withdraw from an obligation or commitment:she felt ready to bail out of the corporate rat race

bail someone/thing out

rescue someone or something from a difficulty:the state will not bail out loss-making enterprises

Derivatives

bailer

noun

Origin:

early 17th century: from obsolete bail 'bucket', from French baille, based on Latin bajulus 'carrier'

bail in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bail in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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