bid

1 of 4

verb

ˈbid 

bade ˈbad  ˈbād  or bid; bidden ˈbi-dᵊn  or bid also bade; bidding

transitive verb

1

a past tense and past participle bid

(1)

: to offer (a price) whether for payment or acceptance

The contractor bid $10,000 less than his nearest competitor.

(2)

card games : to make a bid (see bid entry 2 sense 4) of or in (a suit at cards)

bid one spade

b

: offer

—usually used in the phrase to bid defiance

The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown.

—William Pitt

2

a

: to issue an order to : tell

did as I was bid

b

: to request to come : invite

were bidden to the wedding

c

obsolete : beseech, entreat

3

: to give expression to

bade a tearful farewell

intransitive verb

: to make a bid (see bid entry 2)

Several other companies bid on the job.

bidder noun

bid

2 of 4

noun

1

a

: a statement of what one will give or take for something

is now accepting bids for the renovation project

especially : an offer of a price

made a bid of $100 for the painting

b

: something offered as a bid

c

: the act of one who bids (see bid entry 1)

2

: an opportunity to bid

It's your bid.

3

: an attempt or effort to win, achieve, or attract

a bid for reelection

4

card games

a

: an announcement of what a cardplayer proposes to undertake

b

: the amount of such a bid

a 3-heart bid

c

: a bridge hand on which one may reasonably bid

5

: invitation

a bid to join the sorority

6

informal : a sentence or term of imprisonment : a stint in jail

I did my first bid at seventeen for assault, robbery, and burglary in the first degree.

—William Skeans, Jr.

bid

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abbreviation (1)

twice a day

BID

4 of 4

abbreviation (2)

bachelor of industrial design

Phrases

bid fair

: to seem likely

a movie that bids fair to become a big hit

Synonyms

Verb

• adjure
• boss (around)
• charge
• command
• direct
• enjoin
• instruct
• order
• tell

Noun

• assay [archaic]
• attempt
• bash [chiefly British]
• crack
• endeavor
• essay
• fling
• go
• offer
• pass
• shot
• stab
• trial
• try
• whack
• whirl

Choose the Right Synonym for bid

command, order, bid, enjoin, direct, instruct, charge mean to issue orders.

command and order imply authority and usually some degree of formality and impersonality.

command stresses official exercise of authority.

a general commanding troops

order may suggest peremptory or arbitrary exercise.

ordered his employees about

bid suggests giving orders peremptorily (as to children or servants).

she bade him be seated

enjoin implies giving an order or direction authoritatively and urgently and often with admonition or solicitude.

a sign enjoining patrons to be quiet

direct and instruct both connote expectation of obedience and usually concern specific points of procedure or method, instruct sometimes implying greater explicitness or formality.

directed her assistant to hold all calls

the judge instructed the jury to ignore the remark

charge adds to enjoin an implication of imposing as a duty or responsibility.

charged by the President with a secret mission

Examples of bid in a Sentence

Verb

I'll bid $100 for the lamp but no higher.

He plans to stop bidding if the bids go over $500.

She bid for a desk and a chair.

Several local companies are bidding for the same job.

His company bid on the snow removal contract.

He bid and I passed.

We did as we were bid.

Noun

Bids for the painter's work have been quite high at recent auctions.

She had the highest bid.

He made a bid of $100 for the painting.

He made the opening bid.

The company is accepting bids for the renovation project.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan are feeling emotional about bidding farewell to Blue Bloods and their sibling characters on the long-running cop drama, Danny and Erin Reagan, later this year. —EW.com, 23 Apr. 2024

Construction was put out to bid around January, and the 7,500-square-foot center is expected to open in late 2025. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024

And there may be more history to come since Leverkusen (25-0-4) is bidding to become the first team to finish a Bundesliga season unbeaten. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024

Today’s South might have bid 3NT at his third turn. —Frank Stewart, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024

For those of us who admire the jewels but may not be bidding ourselves, the lots will thankfully travel the world for our viewing pleasure. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2024

San Diego visits rival Chihuahua next week for Game 1 of a best-of-3 playoff series Facebook Show more sharing options The San Diego Sockers are not quite ready to bid farewell to Pechanga Arena. —Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024

The company invited suppliers to bid to work on the car and forecasted producing 10,000 vehicles weekly. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2024

The hotel will bid farewell to the old-school bar with one last event, Curtain Call, which will include live music, cigars and a special menu of popular food and drinks featured on menus over the years. —The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024

Noun

Travis Scott will face a civil trial stemming from the Astroworld tragedy after a judge denied the rapper’s bid to be dismissed from the pending lawsuits. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024

But the Democrats' support, these lawmakers warn, isn’t a magic bullet to turn out the young Americans who were essential to Biden’s 2020 victory and who are at risk of jeopardizing his reelection bid. —Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024

Krauser launched his bid for the mayoral set in December 2022 to try to unseat Mayor Brigette Peterson. —The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024

Trusting pandemic-era grads to self-manage may be risky Bayer is not the first firm to give more control to its young staffers in a bid to drive efficiency. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune Europe, 24 Apr. 2024

That alone would make this auction noteworthy, but this F1 going up for bid is also believed to be one of the lowest mileage examples still in existence, if not the lowest. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024

The Herald also found that August submitted the winning bid, giving her real name, at another of her brother’s auctions in February 2024. —Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024

So, where does this all leave Baldwin in the early stages of her re-election bid? —Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024

The reverse stock split is intended for Applied DNA to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share of common stock for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. —Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

partly from Middle English bidden, from Old English biddan; akin to Old High German bitten to entreat, and perhaps to Sanskrit bādhate he presses; partly from Middle English beden to offer, command, from Old English bēodan; akin to Old High German biotan to offer, Greek pynthanesthai to examine, Sanskrit bodhi enlightenment

Abbreviation (1)

Latin bis in die

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2c

Noun

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bid

• bid fair
• bid up
• counter-bid
• takeover bid

Kids Definition

bid

1 of 2 verb

ˈbid 

bade ˈbad  ˈbād  or bid; bidden ˈbid-ᵊn  or bid; bidding

1

a

: order entry 1 sense 2a, command

did as we were bidden

b

: invite entry 1 sense 2a

2

: to express to

bade me farewell

3

past and past participle bid : to make an offer for something (as at an auction)

bid $10 for a chair

bidder noun

bid

2 of 2 noun

1

: an offer to pay a certain sum for something or to perform certain work at a stated fee

2

: a turn or opportunity to bid

3

: invitation sense 2

received a bid to the state tournament

4

a

: an announcement of what a card player will try to win

b

: the amount of such a bid

5

: an attempt to win, achieve, or attract

made a strong bid for the job

Medical Definition

bid

abbreviation

twice a day

—used in writing prescriptions

Etymology

Abbreviation

Latin bis in die

Legal Definition

bid

1 of 2 verb

ˈbid 

bid; bidding

transitive verb

: to offer (a price) for payment or acceptance

intransitive verb

: to make a bid : state what one will pay or take in payment

bidder noun

bid

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of one who bids

2

a

: a statement of what one will pay for something

b

: a statement of what one (as a contractor) will charge for something (as supplies or labor)

3

: an opportunity to bid