take a bath

idiomatic phrase

informal
: to suffer a heavy financial loss
take a bath on an investment
ESPN also is expected to take a bath in the first year of its new, four-year, $450 million NFL football package … . Combined baseball and NFL losses may eat up as much as $60 million this year alone.John Steinbreder
Apollo Global Management and TPG, the two private equity giants in the 2008 leveraged buyout of Caesars, took a bath on the company before exiting the investment several months ago.Christopher Palmeri

Examples of take a bath in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On Monday, one of their neighbors spotted the exotic creature taking a bath in an irrigation canal and Ruby was brought back home. Ellie Willard, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2023 When police entered the home, Faithfull had just taken a bath and had thrown a fur rug around her when the search began. Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 26 July 2023 To make your bathroom experience feel even more luxurious, add this hand towel and your bath towel to a towel warmer before taking a bath or shower. Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 July 2023 Occasionally still pretends that dishes are taking a bath. Kerry Elson, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 After the playoff loss, Cousins greeted his sons in the bathroom as one of them took a bath before bed. Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 14 July 2023 Before going to his event, Kennedy took a bath, then rested in Charlotte’s parents’ bed. John Kelly, Washington Post, 10 July 2023 In a new Instagram post, the model shared a nude photo of herself and little Esti taking a bath together. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 19 Apr. 2023 During a podcast interview for A24, the Oscar winner and Aster remembered filming a scene in which the eponymous Beau is taking a bath. Zack Sharf, Variety, 19 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take a bath.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take a bath was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near take a bath

Cite this Entry

“Take a bath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20bath. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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