bide

\ ˈbīd

How to pronounce bide (audio)

\

bode\ ˈbōd

How to pronounce bide (audio)

\ or bided; bided; biding

Definition of bide

transitive verb

1 past tense usually bided : to wait for —used chiefly in the phrase bide one's timeis biding his time before asking for a raise

2 archaic : withstand two men … might bide the winter storm— W. C. Bryant

3 chiefly dialectal : to put up with : tolerate … couldn't bide children on his place …— J. W. Riley

intransitive verb

1 : to continue in a state or condition bide still a moment

2 : to wait awhile : tarry

3 : to continue in a place : sojourn bide in a cabin

Other Words from bide Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about bide

Keep scrolling for more

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 Xi, however, believes that China can’t afford to bide its time any longer. — Helen Raleigh, National Review, "The Coming Global Backlash against China," 28 Dec. 2020 In every instance, the Orioles went for a lower-cost replacement in some form or fashion to simply bide their time for the elite talent pipeline Elias promised in November 2018 to start producing in the big leagues. — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, "José Iglesias and Hanser Alberto moves show Orioles’ ‘ultimate goal’ isn’t close as rebuild continues," 3 Dec. 2020 Meaning, now, we're perfectly primed for the main event that sale-savants bide their time for all year long: Black Friday (ever heard of her?). — Emily Ruane, refinery29.com, "The Early Black Friday Fashion Sales Are Already SO Good," 24 Nov. 2020 Geisler had to bide her time to get noticed in the Bears' program. — Bob Narang, chicagotribune.com, "Lake Zurich’s Ashley Geisler finally gets admittance into the club, joining list of Bears playing college basketball; Loyola’s Liam Conaghan picks EIU," 8 Nov. 2020 From light shows to kid-friendly activities, this roundup of merry events will help us bide time before ushering in a new year — a better year. — Suzanne Pfefferle Tafur, NOLA.com, "Holidays sparkle at light shows, virtual concerts, home tours and markets: See Lagniappe's guide," 22 Nov. 2020 Scott said mall officials have told her neighboring businesses have seen an increase in customers, many of whom bide their time waiting for their food by visiting some stores. — Pat Stoetzer, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Early success is ‘such a blessing’ for owners of Fat Enids Barbecue in TownMall of Westminster," 21 Nov. 2020 The console has been among the hottest tech products this year, as families stuck at home due to quarantine turned to video games to bide the time. — Brett Molina, USA TODAY, "Nintendo Switch is still tough to buy. Here's where to look," 24 Sep. 2020 Talking on phones or walkie-talkies: Some hunters bide their time in stands playing games on their phones or surfing the web. — Star Tribune, "Safety should be top priority when deer hunting," 5 Nov. 2020

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 *b^hei̯d- "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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about bide

Dictionary Entries near bide

Statistics for bide

Last Updated

13 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Bide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bide. Accessed 23 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

ad hominem

Listen to the pronunciation of ad hominem

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Slippery Words Quiz—Changing with the Times

What is an earlier meaning of nice?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Spell words. Make bears.