at bay
idiom
: in the position of being unable to move closer while attacking or trying to approach someone
—used with keep or hold
The soldiers kept the attackers at bay.
—often used figurativelyThe doctors have been able to keep her illness at bay for several months.
Examples of at bay in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some moats are defensive, built to keep rivals at bay.
—
Check Warner Mbe, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Pets help keep loneliness at bay, offering companionship on par with regularly seeing friends or family.
—Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 24 Apr. 2025
The first Trump administration’s sheer incompetence kept many of those kinds of closures at bay.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025
In Syria, success will require that U.S. diplomacy promote an internal balance of power that gives a role to the Kurds while keeping Islamist factions backed by Turkey and Qatar at bay.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at bay
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Check Warner Mbe, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Pets help keep loneliness at bay, offering companionship on par with regularly seeing friends or family.
—Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 24 Apr. 2025
The first Trump administration’s sheer incompetence kept many of those kinds of closures at bay.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2025
In Syria, success will require that U.S. diplomacy promote an internal balance of power that gives a role to the Kurds while keeping Islamist factions backed by Turkey and Qatar at bay.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at bay
Cite this Entry
“At bay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20bay. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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