1
: an animal that is a reddish-brown color : a bay (see bay entry 1) animal
specifically
: a horse with a bay-colored body and black mane, tail, and points (see point entry 1 sense 6b(3)) compare chestnut entry 1 sense 4, sorrel entry 1 sense 1
2
: a reddish brown
1
architecture
: a principal compartment of the walls, roof, or other part of a building or of the whole building
… the transverse arches and adjacent piers of the arcade divide the building into bays …—
Helen Gardner
Helen Gardner2
architecture
: a main division of a structure
a barn with three bays
3
: any of various compartments or sections used for a special purpose (as in an airplane, spacecraft, or gas station)
a bomb bay
a cargo bay
5
: a support or housing for electronic equipment
bayed; baying; bays
1
: to bark with prolonged tones
dogs baying at the moon
2
: to cry out : shout
a baying crowd
1
: to bark at
dogs baying the moon
2
: to bring to the position of one unable to retreat and forced to face danger : to bring to bay (see bay entry 5 sense 2)
hounds baying a fox
3
: to pursue with barking
… dogs baying and driving him up a tree …—Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin4
: to utter in deep prolonged tones
1
: an instance of a dog barking with prolonged tones : a baying (see bay entry 4 sense 1) of dogs
followed the trail in full bay
2
: the position of one unable to retreat and forced to face danger
brought the boar to bay
3
: the position of one checked
police kept the rioters at bay
often attributive
1
: an inlet of the sea or other body of water usually smaller than a gulf
2
: a small body of water set off from the main body
3
: any of various terrestrial formations resembling a bay of the sea
a bay of prairie
1
botany
a
Synonyms
Examples of bay in a Sentence
Verb
the mob was baying for revenge
the lonesome beagle bayed whenever someone walked by
Recent Examples on the Webal, 29 June 2022
In its back-bays study, the corps imagines protecting Absecon Island, which is divvied up between Atlantic City and three other towns, with a storm-surge barrier and a cross-bay barrier along with connections to levees and flood walls.
—New York Times, 13 Aug. 2021
On Friday, Stephen Piscotty’s ninth-inning slam capped a furious comeback against the Giants and propelled the A’s to an 8-7 win in 10 innings in the opener of the cross-bay series at Oracle Park.
—Matt Kawahara, SFChronicle.com, 14 Aug. 2020
Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 1 Feb. 2024
His small, high-browed face peers down calmly at the professors, who have launched into an unearthly cacophony of yapping, baying, and squealing 40 feet below.
—Peter Radetsky, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Most orchestras that perform the piece choose to use recordings of dogs barking, but conductor Adam Fischer decided to showcase live expert baying in the piece.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023
The men yelled, growled and bayed until neighborhood dogs started barking; voices rose to a frenzied pitch, then subsided.
—Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2023
But if Biden is reelected, the Republican House will be baying for his blood.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
The dogs are crossbred from sociable huskies and hardier Greenland dogs and are baying and pawing for attention.
—Taymour Soomro Scott Conarroe, New York Times, 10 May 2023
The huge screen is augmented with a 40-speaker Bowers and Wilkins Diamond surround sound system, which has nearly 2,000W of audio power – enough to completely obscure any number of baying peasants outside.
—James Morris, Forbes, 6 May 2023
There are presently calls on Russian social media baying for an even more vicious response than Russia’s already continual strategic bombing of Ukrainian cities.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 May 2023
Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Accompanied by a team of nine assistants and Harvard’s impressive collection of astronomical instruments—including telescopes, compasses, clocks and quadrants—Williams set sail for Penobscot, choosing to disembark at Islesboro Island, a narrow, 14-mile-long island situated in the middle of the bay.
—Yaakov Zinberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
In addition to the hunt itself being rare, Talty said the sheer number of orcas in the bay was also uncommon.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
The evidence of it was down there, in the bay’s depths.
—Rafael Vilela, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
Spices are half the transformation: ginger, allspice and cumin, built to warm; thyme, with its kiss of camphor; bay leaves for a piney depth.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The incident ripped a 211-foot-long gash in the ship and dumped 53,000 gallons of bunker fuel into the bay.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
These magical bays include Mosquito Bay in Vieques and Laguna Grande in Fajardo.
—Claire Volkman, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
Photo : Getty Images Best Nighttime Activity, Bioluminescent Bays in Puerto Rico
There’s nothing quite like experiencing bioluminescent bays firsthand.
—Claire Volkman, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The gantries will be located at a mid-bay interchange within the 7.4-mile distance between downtown Mobile and the U.S. 98/90 exit in Daphne.
—al, 29 June 2022
In its back-bays study, the corps imagines protecting Absecon Island, which is divvied up between Atlantic City and three other towns, with a storm-surge barrier and a cross-bay barrier along with connections to levees and flood walls.
—New York Times, 13 Aug. 2021
On Friday, Stephen Piscotty’s ninth-inning slam capped a furious comeback against the Giants and propelled the A’s to an 8-7 win in 10 innings in the opener of the cross-bay series at Oracle Park.
—Matt Kawahara, SFChronicle.com, 14 Aug. 2020
Verb
Lions bay up in high places, and the hounds follow.
—Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 1 Feb. 2024
His small, high-browed face peers down calmly at the professors, who have launched into an unearthly cacophony of yapping, baying, and squealing 40 feet below.
—Peter Radetsky, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Most orchestras that perform the piece choose to use recordings of dogs barking, but conductor Adam Fischer decided to showcase live expert baying in the piece.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023
The men yelled, growled and bayed until neighborhood dogs started barking; voices rose to a frenzied pitch, then subsided.
—Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2023
But if Biden is reelected, the Republican House will be baying for his blood.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
The dogs are crossbred from sociable huskies and hardier Greenland dogs and are baying and pawing for attention.
—Taymour Soomro Scott Conarroe, New York Times, 10 May 2023
The huge screen is augmented with a 40-speaker Bowers and Wilkins Diamond surround sound system, which has nearly 2,000W of audio power – enough to completely obscure any number of baying peasants outside.
—James Morris, Forbes, 6 May 2023
There are presently calls on Russian social media baying for an even more vicious response than Russia’s already continual strategic bombing of Ukrainian cities.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 May 2023
Noun
Soil sampled two days after the storm around Brickell showed patterns that indicated surge could be blamed for flooding a block or two from the bay, but further inland was caused by heavy rain unable to drain into the bay.
—Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Accompanied by a team of nine assistants and Harvard’s impressive collection of astronomical instruments—including telescopes, compasses, clocks and quadrants—Williams set sail for Penobscot, choosing to disembark at Islesboro Island, a narrow, 14-mile-long island situated in the middle of the bay.
—Yaakov Zinberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
In addition to the hunt itself being rare, Talty said the sheer number of orcas in the bay was also uncommon.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
The evidence of it was down there, in the bay’s depths.
—Rafael Vilela, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2024
Spices are half the transformation: ginger, allspice and cumin, built to warm; thyme, with its kiss of camphor; bay leaves for a piney depth.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The incident ripped a 211-foot-long gash in the ship and dumped 53,000 gallons of bunker fuel into the bay.
—Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
These magical bays include Mosquito Bay in Vieques and Laguna Grande in Fajardo.
—Claire Volkman, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
Photo : Getty Images Best Nighttime Activity, Bioluminescent Bays in Puerto Rico
There’s nothing quite like experiencing bioluminescent bays firsthand.
—Claire Volkman, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bay
Cite this Entry
“Bay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bay. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bay
1 of 7 adjective
: reddish brown
a bay mare
bay
2 of 7 noun1
: a horse with a bay-colored body and black mane, tail, and lower legs
2
: a reddish brown
bay
3 of 7 noun1
: a section or compartment of a building or vehicle
a bomb bay
a cargo bay
2
bay
4 of 7 verb1
: to bark or bark at with long deep tones
wolves baying at the moon
2
: to cry out : shout
3
: to bring (as an animal) to bay
bay
5 of 7 noun1
: the baying of a dog : a deep bark
2
: the position of an animal or person forced to face pursuers when it is impossible to escape
brought the fox to bay
3
: the position of one restrained or held off
used strong medicines to keep the infection at bay
bay
6 of 7 noun
: an inlet of a body of water (as the sea) that is usually smaller than a gulf
bay
7 of 7 noun1
a
b
: any of several shrubs or trees resembling the laurel
2
: a laurel wreath given as a prize
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English bay "reddish brown," from early French bai (same meaning), from Latin badius "reddish brown"
Noun
Middle English bay "main part of a building," from early French baee "opening," derived from earlier baer "to be wide open, gape"
Verb
Middle English baien, abaien "to bay," from early French abaier (same meaning), originally a word to imitate the sound
Noun
Middle English baye "inlet," from early French bai, perhaps from baer "to be wide open"
Noun
Middle English bay "berry, laurel berry," from early French baie (same meaning), from Latin baca "berry"
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