bid

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verb

ˈbid 

bade ˈbad  ˈbād  or bid; bidden ˈbi-dᵊn  or bid also bade; bidding

transitive verb

1

a past tense and past participle bid

(1)

: to offer (a price) whether for payment or acceptance

The contractor bid $10,000 less than his nearest competitor.

(2)

card games : to make a bid (see bid entry 2 sense 4) of or in (a suit at cards)

bid one spade

b

: offer

—usually used in the phrase to bid defiance

The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown.

—William Pitt

2

a

: to issue an order to : tell

did as I was bid

b

: to request to come : invite

were bidden to the wedding

c

obsolete : beseech, entreat

3

: to give expression to

bade a tearful farewell

intransitive verb

: to make a bid (see bid entry 2)

Several other companies bid on the job.

bidder noun

bid

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noun

1

a

: a statement of what one will give or take for something

is now accepting bids for the renovation project

especially : an offer of a price

made a bid of $100 for the painting

b

: something offered as a bid

c

: the act of one who bids (see bid entry 1)

2

: an opportunity to bid

It's your bid.

3

: an attempt or effort to win, achieve, or attract

a bid for reelection

4

card games

a

: an announcement of what a cardplayer proposes to undertake

b

: the amount of such a bid

a 3-heart bid

c

: a bridge hand on which one may reasonably bid

5

: invitation

a bid to join the sorority

6

informal : a sentence or term of imprisonment : a stint in jail

I did my first bid at seventeen for assault, robbery, and burglary in the first degree.

—William Skeans, Jr.

bid

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abbreviation (1)

twice a day

BID

4 of 4

abbreviation (2)

bachelor of industrial design

Phrases

bid fair

: to seem likely

a movie that bids fair to become a big hit

Synonyms

Verb

• order
• instruct
• tell
• ask

Noun

• attempt
• try

Choose the Right Synonym for bid

command, order, bid, enjoin, direct, instruct, charge mean to issue orders.

command and order imply authority and usually some degree of formality and impersonality.

command stresses official exercise of authority.

a general commanding troops

order may suggest peremptory or arbitrary exercise.

ordered his employees about

bid suggests giving orders peremptorily (as to children or servants).

she bade him be seated

enjoin implies giving an order or direction authoritatively and urgently and often with admonition or solicitude.

a sign enjoining patrons to be quiet

direct and instruct both connote expectation of obedience and usually concern specific points of procedure or method, instruct sometimes implying greater explicitness or formality.

directed her assistant to hold all calls

the judge instructed the jury to ignore the remark

charge adds to enjoin an implication of imposing as a duty or responsibility.

charged by the President with a secret mission

Examples of bid in a Sentence

Verb

I'll bid $100 for the lamp but no higher.

He plans to stop bidding if the bids go over $500.

She bid for a desk and a chair.

Several local companies are bidding for the same job.

His company bid on the snow removal contract.

He bid and I passed.

We did as we were bid.

Noun

Bids for the painter's work have been quite high at recent auctions.

She had the highest bid.

He made a bid of $100 for the painting.

He made the opening bid.

The company is accepting bids for the renovation project.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The blue bloods are bidding right now to snap up the Rams’ best players, while athletic director John Weber has to come up with ways to pay them. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2025

The news came as some of the world's top chess players gathered in the San Francisco Bay Area to bid farewell to Naroditsky, 29, who was found unconscious this week at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. —Jake Lubbehusen, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025

Noun

Bolsonaro was recently convicted of attempting a coup after losing his bid for reelection in 2022 and a panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced him to about 27 years in prison. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025

Carlsbad’s City Council authorized staffers Tuesday to advertise for construction bids on Veterans Memorial Park, which will be the city’s largest at 94 acres and will include its first family bike park with jumps, a pump track and a slalom course. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

partly from Middle English bidden, from Old English biddan; akin to Old High German bitten to entreat, and perhaps to Sanskrit bādhate he presses; partly from Middle English beden to offer, command, from Old English bēodan; akin to Old High German biotan to offer, Greek pynthanesthai to examine, Sanskrit bodhi enlightenment

Abbreviation (1)

Latin bis in die

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2c

Noun

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bid

• bid up
• counter-bid
• takeover bid

Rhymes for bid

• did
• grid
• hid
• id
• lid
• mid
• quid
• rid
• skid
• slid
• squid
• amid

Kids Definition

bid

1 of 2 verb

ˈbid 

bade ˈbad  ˈbād  or bid; bidden ˈbid-ᵊn  or bid; bidding

1

a

: order entry 1 sense 2a, command

did as we were bidden

b

: invite entry 1 sense 2a

2

: to express to

bade me farewell

3

past and past participle bid : to make an offer for something (as at an auction)

bid $10 for a chair

bidder noun

bid

2 of 2 noun

1

: an offer to pay a certain sum for something or to perform certain work at a stated fee

2

: a turn or opportunity to bid

3

: invitation sense 2

received a bid to the state tournament

4

a

: an announcement of what a card player will try to win

b

: the amount of such a bid

5

: an attempt to win, achieve, or attract

made a strong bid for the job

Medical Definition

bid

abbreviation

twice a day

—used in writing prescriptions

Etymology

Abbreviation

Latin bis in die

Legal Definition

bid

1 of 2 verb

ˈbid 

bid; bidding

transitive verb

: to offer (a price) for payment or acceptance

intransitive verb

: to make a bid : state what one will pay or take in payment

bidder noun

bid

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of one who bids

2

a

: a statement of what one will pay for something

b

: a statement of what one (as a contractor) will charge for something (as supplies or labor)

3

: an opportunity to bid