bail.
Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
Meaning & usage
Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
He was granted bail for £20000.
Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.
The person providing such payment.
A bucket or scoop used for removing water from a boat etc.
A person who bails water out of a boat.
Custody; keeping.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English baille, from the Old French verb bailler (“to deliver or hand over”) and noun bail (“lease”), from Latin bāiulāre (“carry or bear”), from baiulus (“porter; steward”) (English: bailiff).
To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail.
To release a person under such guarantee.
To hand over personal property to be held temporarily by another as a bailment.
to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier
To remove (water) from a boat by scooping it out.
to bail water out of a boat
To remove water from (a boat) by scooping it out.
to bail a boat
To set free; to deliver; to release.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English baille, from the Old French verb bailler (“to deliver or hand over”) and noun bail (“lease”), from Latin bāiulāre (“carry or bear”), from baiulus (“porter; steward”) (English: bailiff).
To leave or exit abruptly.
With his engine in flames, the pilot had no choice but to bail.
To fail to meet a commitment (to a person).
Where this word comes from
From a shortening of bail out, ultimately same as above.
A hoop, ring or handle (especially of a kettle or bucket).
A stall for a cow (or other animal) (usually tethered with a semi-circular hoop).
A hinged bar as a restraint for animals, or on a typewriter.
A frame to restrain a cow during milking or feeding.
A hoop, ring, or other object used to connect a pendant to a necklace.
One of the two wooden crosspieces that rest on top of the stumps to form a wicket.
Normally curved handle suspended between sockets as a drawer pull. This may also be on a kettle or pail.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English beyle, from Old English bīeġels, from bīeġan + -els.
To secure the head of a cow during milking.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English beyle, from Old English bīeġels, from bīeġan + -els.
To confine.
To secure (a cow) by placing its head in a bail for milking.
To keep (a traveller) detained in order to rob them; to corner (a wild animal); loosely, to detain, hold up.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from French baillier.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.