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

When it came time to compete again at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, she had to keep her fears of a relapse at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Nonetheless, the result sent shock waves through Germany, which in the post-war era had so far managed to keep extremist parties at bay.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Rather than hammering home his advantage, defending champion Romero went back into his shell and Lopez kept him well at bay with his jab to take the 23rd victory of his career.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski gives up two home runs and Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski holds the Dodgers’ big hitters at bay in Milwaukee’s 4-1 victory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

“Just hold them at bay until Harry and I can come to the rescue.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

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Related Words

• captured
• cornered

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