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 figuratively

The 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

The pair advises using Clorox wipes or a mix of dish soap and water to keep unwanted microbes at bay. —Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 21 Nov. 2025

This keeps sweat and accompanying odor at bay for up to 48 hours, contains essential moisturizers with natural oils, and has zero percent alcohol (ethanol) to help skin recover from shaving irritation. —Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 18 Nov. 2025

Spicin’s Quality Control Chef Cianna Means monitors each batch’s viscosity, as well as sugar, salt and water levels to make sure microbes are held at bay. —Kansas City Star, 18 Nov. 2025

Laughter keeps the fear of loneliness at bay and acts as a protector against anxiety and depression. —Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for at bay

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret