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

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

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

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

That doesn’t mean investors should bail out of stocks.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025

His bad eyes notwithstanding, he was climbing well and feeling stronger than he had since the beginning of the expedition, and, he explained, “I didn’t want to bail out prematurely.”

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• relieve
• rescue