bailout

1 of 2

noun

bail·​out ˈbāl-ˌau̇t How to pronounce bailout (audio)
: a rescue from financial distress

bail out

2 of 2

verb

bailed out; bailing out; bails out

intransitive verb

1
: to parachute from an aircraft
2
: to abandon a harmful or difficult situation
also : leave, depart

Examples of bailout in a Sentence

Noun government bailouts of large corporations Verb if the meeting seems like it will never end, find an excuse to bail out the government bailed out the savings and loan industry
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The discussions, which come as Intel has struggled to open manufacturing centers planned in the United States, would be one of the largest government interventions in the private industry since the bailout of the U.S. auto industry under former President Barack Obama. Joey Garrison, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025 Instead, previous actions took the form of temporary nationalization, regulatory control, subsidies, or bailouts—often during war or economic emergency. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
Also Thursday, board members agreed to use $8.3 million in reserves and $34 million in this year’s discretionary funds — including money that otherwise would have gone to the CTA and Metra — to help bail out the region’s paratransit program, which is run by Pace. Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025 Looking further back, the U.S. has bailed out companies or temporarily taken them over in times of financial panic or war. Joseph Lawler, The Washington Examiner, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bailout

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bailout was in 1925

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bailout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bailout. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

bail out

verb
1
: to jump out of an airplane with a parachute
2
: to help from a difficult situation

Legal Definition

bailout

noun
bail·​out ˈbāl-ˌau̇t How to pronounce bailout (audio)
: a rescue from financial distress

More from Merriam-Webster on bailout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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