bailout

1 of 2

noun

bail·​out ˈbāl-ˌau̇t 

: 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

Synonyms of bailout

Verb

• exit
• move
• depart
• get
• go
• peel off
• walk out
• pull out
• get off
• cut out
• run along
• dig out
• sally (forth)
• go off
• push off
• evacuate
• escape
• clear out
• bail
• start
• pike (out or off)
• clear off

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

Noun

Animal welfare groups are critical of the loan and urged the Board of Supervisors to halt any bailout until a city performance audit on the zoo has been fully released. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

In the rest of Latin America, pandemic-era travel restrictions and a lack of government bailouts led LATAM Airlines SA, Avianca Holdings SA, Aeromexico, Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA and Azul SA to file for bankruptcies. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026

Verb

Royals reliever Nick Mears gave up a run, but was bailed out by a sliding catch from Kyle Isbel. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026

Machado, who bailed out of sheriff’s custody, remains free on her own recognizance. —Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bailout

• about
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout
• dugout

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 

: a rescue from financial distress