bid
verb (used with object)
to command; order; direct.
Showing results for "bid"
- past participle of bide.
bid
1 American
[bid]
/ bɪd /
verb (used with object)
bade,
bad,
bid,
bidden,
bid,
bid,
bidding
-
to command; order; direct.
to bid them depart.
-
to express (a greeting, farewell, benediction, or wish).
to bid good night.
-
Commerce. to offer (a certain sum) as the price one will pay or charge.
They bid $25,000 and got the contract.
-
Cards. to enter a bid of (a given quantity or suit).
to bid two no-trump.
-
to summon by invitation; invite.
verb (used without object)
bade,
bad,
bid,
bidden,
bid,
bid,
bidding
-
to command; order; direct.
I will do as you bid.
-
to make a bid.
She bid at the auction for the old chair.
noun
-
bids
plural
-
an act or instance of bidding.
-
Cards.
-
an offer to make a specified number of points or to take a specified number of tricks.
-
the amount of such an offer.
-
the turn of a person to bid.
-
-
an invitation.
a bid to join the club.
-
an attempt to attain some goal or purpose.
a bid for election.
-
Also called bid price. Stock Exchange. the highest price a prospective buyer is willing to pay for a security at a given moment.
verb phrase
-
bid up to increase the market price of by increasing bids.
-
bid in to overbid all offers for (property) at an auction in order to retain ownership.
idioms
bid
2
American
[bid]
/ bɪd /
verb
Archaic.
b.i.d.
3
American
abbreviation
B.I.D.
4
American
abbreviation
bid
1
British
/ bɪd /
verb
-
to offer (an amount) in attempting to buy something, esp in competition with others as at an auction
-
commerce to respond to an offer by a seller by stating (the more favourable terms) on which one is willing to make a purchase
-
(tr) to say (a greeting, blessing, etc)
to bid farewell
-
to order; command
do as you are bid!
-
to attempt to attain power, etc
-
(tr) to invite; ask kindly
she bade him sit down
-
bridge to declare in the auction before play how many tricks one expects to make
-
to resist boldly
-
to seem probable
noun
-
-
an offer of a specified amount, as at an auction
-
the price offered
-
-
commerce
-
a statement by a buyer, in response to an offer by a seller, of the more favourable terms that would be acceptable
-
the price or other terms so stated
-
-
an attempt, esp an attempt to attain power
-
bridge
-
the number of tricks a player undertakes to make
-
a player's turn to make a bid
-
-
short for bid price
b.i.d.
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of bid1
before 900; Middle English bidden, Old English biddan to beg, ask; cognate with Old Frisian bidda, Old Saxon biddian, Old High German bittan ( German bitten ), Old Norse bithja, Gothic bidjan; all < Germanic *bid-ja- (< Indo-European *bhidh- ) command, akin to Greek peíthein to persuade, inspire with trust, English bide
Origin of b.i.d.3
From Latin bis in diē
Explanation
If you make the winning bid on an item, you offer the highest price and get to take it home. Congratulations, and enjoy your new paper weight! Bid comes from an Old English word meaning “to offer,” which is right in line with its meaning today. To bid is the act of offering a bid, or more generally to try to get something. With several companies bidding for your services, you have a lot to consider. Tip: go where the weather's warmest.
Vocabulary lists containing bid
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lee's General Order No. 9: A Farewell Address
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The bid implied a price of A$27.00 per Northern Star share based on Gold Fields’ closing price on Sept. 11, valuing Northern Star’s equity at A$38.7 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Eventually, in a moment of clarity, Scanlon decided to stop going, in a bid to free up time and mental bandwidth.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Pete Buttigieg went on the campaign trail last week with Conley to promote the candidate’s bid to unseat Lawler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
MGM Resorts MGM -10.99%decrease; down pointing triangle is discussing making a bid to purchase Barry Diller’s People Incorporated, which owns a roughly 27% stake in MGM, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Each new auction seemed to surpass the previous one for the record of the highest single bid and the total of millions collected.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Peltz has launched multiple bids to take over the chain, most recently in February and August, before deciding he would wait to see if Wendy’s newest CEO, Bob Wright, could turn the flagging operation around.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
But if AI absorbs the most manual elements of pulling pacing reports and tweaking platform bids, for example, practitioners might be able to see and work beyond their silos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Marr said: "The auction has been a great experience and has exceeded all my expectations. I'd like to thank everyone who made bids and special thanks to Christie's for making it so memorable."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Once a thriving retail destination valued at $1.2 billion, San Francisco Centre is back on the market, with bids expected to top out at just $130 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
‘My heart bids me go on,’ said Legolas.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
“Are robots having bad days already?” one YouTube commenter wondered.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
"We want to know, whether it's good or bad, alive or dead, but to know the truth, to know where they are," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
It was also a very bad year for stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Dr Chris van Tulleken has written books and made documentaries about how bad these foods can be, and he tells me they're "almost impossible to avoid" - even his own family's diet includes a few.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
It was such a bad idea—what was I thinking?
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The royals packed their suitcases, bade farewell to the palace staff, and climbed into an armored Mercedes that drove them to a nearby rail station.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
On Thursday, White House officials bade farewell to one of the two heavily modified Boeing 747s that have transported US presidents for decades, which fueled speculation that the new jet would be unveiled imminently.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
He wasn’t ready for Catherine O’Hara to go, nor Rob Reiner, who bade Idle a poignant farewell at a recent L.A. party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
Both are alarmed by the sudden reappearance of a Frenchman nicknamed Beast, to whom they’d each bade goodbye years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Beside this heap he put another of all the bones, dressed up with cunning and covered with shining fat, and bade Zeus choose between them.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
When and if you are bidden to the journey by a POC who has granted you a brief visit to the darker side of human nature, explore safely.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2020
Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, and many others may have bidden the show farewell, but Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, and, yes, Ice-T are killing it these days.
From Slate ● Dec. 26, 2014
There was no suggestion of the intimidated, the vanquished or the bidden about Konrad Adenauer's visit.
From Time Magazine Archive
Newshawk Perkins did as bidden, and had his picture taken.
From Time Magazine Archive
Now if there is anything mortifying to our feelings when we are young, it is to be told that, and to be bidden to “run away, dear” is still more trying to us.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Chatham Asset Management won the bidding in the bankruptcy auction that year, and much of the company’s debt was eliminated in the acquisition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The 29-year-old Briton is bidding for the crowning moment of his 10-year professional career at T-Mobile Arena.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Around the country, students who learn about the artwork in history classes are gearing up for school trips, while businesses are bidding to capitalise on some of the fervour.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Alexander Egger, CEO of Münchner Stubn, wants bidding opened to vendors across the European Union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
She told him her wrongs and as always he was ready to do her bidding.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
