bail out

British  

verb

1. (intr) to make an emergency parachute jump from an aircraft

2. informal (tr) to help (a person, organization, etc) out of a predicament

   the government bailed the company out

3. informal (intr) to escape from a predicament

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bail out Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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]

3. Jump out of an airplane, using a parachute. For example, When the second engine sputtered, the pilot decided to bail out . [c. 1930]

4. 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]

5. See make bail .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bail out

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked if the Treasury Department has the ability to bail out Bitcoin, or to order U.S. banks to purchase the cryptocurrency.

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

The head of tiny but historic Occidental Studios is looking to bail out — for the right price.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026

It sent a resounding statement to the other star players who have joined Saudi-backed LIV: If they also want to bail out, there was now a clear path for PGA Tour comebacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026

And if things go wrong it would fall to Belgium to bail out Euroclear.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

There was clearly some low price at which Michael Burry might bail out of his bet against the subprime mortgage bond market.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• relieve
• rescue