bide

[ bahyd ]

See synonyms for bide on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),bid·ed or bode; bid·ed or (Archaic) bid; bid·ing.

Archaic. to endure; bear.
Obsolete. to encounter.

verb (used without object),bid·ed or bode; bid·ed or (Archaic) bid; bid·ing.

to dwell; abide; wait; remain.

Idioms about bide

bide one's time, to wait for a favorable opportunity: He wanted to ask for a raise, but bided his time.

Origin of bide

before 900; Middle English biden,Old English bīdan; cognate with Old Frisian bīdia,Old Saxon bīdan,Old High German bītan,Old Norse bītha,Gothic beidan,Latin fīdere,Greek peíthesthai to trust, rely <Indo-European *bheidh-; the meaning apparently developed: have trust > endure > wait >abide > remain

Other words for bide

3	stay, linger, tarry

See synonyms for bide on Thesaurus.com

Other words from bide

bider, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bide in a sentence

Adele In 2013 Sediuk crashed the Grammy's, stealing Adam Levine's seat and biding his time.
An Analysis of Vitalii Sediuk’s Pranks (He’s the Guy Who Touched Brad Pitt) | Amy Zimmerman | May 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But know that the Kremlin is biding its time for fuller revenge.
How the Pussy Riot Girls Trial Fell Apart | Alisa Obraztsova | May 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
He had been biding his time until the situation in the city calmed down in order to make his way back to Sudan.
Libya's Hysteria Over African Mercenaries | Babak Dehghanpisheh | March 6, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Chandler is biding his time as he waits to see what other projects come up.
Will Friday Night Lights Finally Win? | Jace Lacob | August 25, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Apparently, Van der Sloot has been biding his time in a Lima jail cell, poring over love letters from a flood of women.
Women Who Love Murderers | Barbie Latza Nadeau | June 23, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

The snow and the night, now at hand, biding them, they entered the little wood with confidence that they would fall into no trap.
The Hosts of the Air | Joseph A. Altsheler
But the main reason why I am biding here like this is that I want to wait till the moon rises.
Return of the Native | Thomas Hardy
Mary kept hers on a page by itself in a neat little memorandum book, biding her time to sound the promised trumpet before him.
Mary Ware's Promised Land | Annie Fellows Johnston
The green eyes gleamed with the malice of a waiting devil biding his time and knowing that it was drawing near.
John Gayther's Garden and the Stories Told Therein | Frank R. Stockton
Among the crowd, Lady Betty is biding her time, very nonchalant, and a little solitary in her state.
Girlhood and Womanhood | Sarah Tytler

British Dictionary definitions for bide

bide

/ (baɪd) /

verbbides, biding, bided, bode or bided

(intr) archaic, or dialect to continue in a certain place or state; stay
(intr) archaic, or dialect to live; dwell

(tr) archaic, or dialect to tolerate; endure
bide a wee Scot to stay a little
bide by Scot to abide by
bide one's time to wait patiently for an opportunity

Origin of bide

Old English bīdan; related to Old Norse bītha to wait, Gothic beidan, Old High German bītan

Often shortened to: (Scot) byde

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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