\ ˈbāt
\
\
bated; bating
Definition of bate
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to reduce the force or intensity of : restrain
waited with bated breath
2
: to take away : deduct
That grave and orderly senior was not going to bate a jot of his dignity …— George Eliot
3
archaic
: to lower especially in amount or estimation
And I shall have to bate my price …— A. E. Housman
bate
verb (2)
bated; bating
Definition of bate (Entry 2 of 2)
of a falcon or hawk
: to attempt to fly off something (such as a gauntlet) in fear
Learn More About bate
Statistics for bate
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Bate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bate. Accessed 23 May. 2022.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
More Definitions for bate
bate
verb
\ ˈbāt
\
\
bated; bating
Kids Definition of bate
: to reduce the force or intensity of
… with parted lips and bated breath the audience hung upon his words …— Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Test Your Vocabulary
Which Word Does Not Belong?
-
- Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
-
You're (Probably) Saying It Wrong
18 words even you might be mispronouncing
-
Great Big List of Beautiful & Useless Words
Along with their degrees of usefulness
-
12 French Phrases from Downton Abbey
Many of us have an 'idée fixe'
-
Words For Things You Didn't Know Have Names
When 'thingamajig' and 'thingamabob' just won't do
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
The Great British Vocabulary Quiz
Make sure you know the difference between a loo a...
Take the quiz
-
Face Your Fears
Don't be scared to answer these questions about f...
Take the quiz
-
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz
"Most Likely to Use Obscure Words"
Take the quiz
-
Lexigo
Find the hidden words by solving the clues
Take the quiz
Share bate
Time Traveler for bate
The first known use of bate was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century