Definition of BIDE

Examples of bide in a Sentence

how long are you going to bide in this unhappy marriage? at my advanced age I simply cannot bide young children

Recent Examples on the Web

The Spaniard had endured a frustrating spell away from the pitch due to Atletico's transfer ban and had to bide his time until the first of January. — SI.com, "Atletico Madrid Veteran Fernando Torres Cuts Dejected Figure on Bench as Diego Costa Nets on Return," 5 Jan. 2018 The recent waits have not reached levels seen in 2016, when thousands of Haitians overwhelmed border inspectors in San Diego and had to bide their time for up to five weeks. — The Christian Science Monitor, "Asylum-seekers line up at US-Mexico border," 8 June 2018 But this was likely Atlanta's play all along, for Acuna to bide his time in the minors (no matter his numbers) until he could be added to the major league roster with an extra season (2024) of organizational control. — Connor Grossman, SI.com, "Report: Braves Call Up Top Prospect Ronald Acuna," 25 Apr. 2018 The recent waits have not reached levels seen in 2016, when thousands of Haitians overwhelmed border inspectors in San Diego and had to bide their time for up to five weeks. — Washington Post, "Undeterred by Trump, asylum-seekers line up at the border," 8 June 2018 The recent waits have not reached levels seen in 2016, when thousands of Haitians overwhelmed border inspectors in San Diego and had to bide their time for up to five weeks. — The Christian Science Monitor, "Asylum-seekers line up at US-Mexico border," 8 June 2018 Such vivid anticipation steers those sputtering at Mr. Trump's presidency to take deep breaths and bide their time until Nov. 6, which draws closer every day: The 2018 campaign cycle formally starts this week with primary voting in Texas. — Charlie Savage, New York Times, "What if Republicans Win the Midterms?," 3 Mar. 2018 He's had to bide his time on the international stage. — SI.com, "Why Spain's 'Secret Weapon' Thiago Alcantara Could Be the Key to Their Success This Summer," 11 June 2018 The recent waits have not reached levels seen in 2016, when thousands of Haitians overwhelmed border inspectors in San Diego and had to bide their time for up to five weeks. — The Christian Science Monitor, "Asylum-seekers line up at US-Mexico border," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for bide

Middle English biden "to stay, linger, wait expectantly, hope for, undergo," going back to Old English bīdan, past bād, bidon, past participle biden, going back to Germanic *bīðan- (whence also Old Saxon bīdan "to wait, stand ready, hold out," Old High German bītan "to wait, expect," Old Norse bíða "to wait for, suffer, undergo," Gothic beidan "to wait for, endure"), perhaps going back to Indo-European *bhei̯d- "entrust, trust" — more at faith entry 1

Note: The argument has been made, most notably by Émile Benveniste (Le vocabulaire des institutions indo-européennes, Paris, 1969, tome 1, pp. 119-20), that in Germanic an older sense "place one's trust in something" developed into "expect with confidence, wait for" and then "undergo, endure"—though this hypothesis has not been universally accepted.

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