at bay

Idioms  

1. Cornered, in distress, as in Angry bystanders chased the thief into an alley and held him at bay until the police arrived. This idiom originally came from hunting, where it describes an animal that has been driven back and now faces pursuing hounds. Its use for other situations dates from the late 1500s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at bay

Keep the post-World Cup blues at bay by watching these 15 international series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Potentially damaging doubts were held at bay in weekend rounds of 62 and 68 capped by the quick-fire putt that sealed the championship.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Fajar Budiyono, secretary-general of the Association of Olefin, Aromatic, Plastic and Chemical Industries in Indonesia, said a shift to suppliers in places like China and Africa has helped keep prices at bay.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

She puts a lot of effort into home decoration and entertaining guests as she tries to keep Joe’s churlishness at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Kaede realized that she was reciting the Thirty Blessings repeatedly from memory, as though that would keep Elowen at bay.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Related Words

• captured
• cornered