bail out
Britishverb
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(intr) to make an emergency parachute jump from an aircraft
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informal (tr) to help (a person, organization, etc) out of a predicament
the government bailed the company out
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informal (intr) to escape from a predicament
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Empty water out of a boat, usually by dipping with a bucket or other container. For example, We had to keep bailing out water from this leaky canoe . [Early 1600s]
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Rescue someone in an emergency, especially a financial crisis of some kind, as in They were counting on an inheritance to bail them out . [ Colloquial ; 1900s]
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Jump out of an airplane, using a parachute. For example, When the second engine sputtered, the pilot decided to bail out . [c. 1930]
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Give up on something, abandon a responsibility, as in The company was not doing well, so John decided to bail out while he could still find another job . [Second half of 1900s]
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See make bail .
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.
Defense technology operations, along with aerospace and artificial intelligence, have flocked to California, even as retail and fast-food chains bail out of the Golden State.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
"That's what goalkeepers are there for, to bail out the defence when they get exploited," she told ITV.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Beijing is Islamabad's closest regional ally, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often struggling neighbour.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
The novel’s title refers to the most difficult portion of any climb, the make-or-break moment when you either bail out or commit to reaching the summit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
“You never know when you’re going to have to bail out your insane ex-wife?”
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
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.
