bailout

American  

[bayl-aut] / ˈbeɪlˌaʊt /

Or bail-out

noun

• bailouts
  plural

1. the act of parachuting from an aircraft, especially to escape a crash, fire, etc.

2. an instance of coming to the rescue, especially financially.

   a government bailout of a large company.

3. an alternative, additional choice, or the like.

   If the highway is jammed, you have two side roads as bailouts.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of means for relieving an emergency situation.

   bailout measures for hard-pressed smallbusinesses.

bailout British  

/ ˈbeɪlaʊt /

noun

1. an act of bailing out, usually by the government, of a failing institution or business

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bailouts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bailout

First recorded in 1950–55; noun and adjective use of the verb phrase bail out

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Explanation

When a business is in financial trouble and the government helps them, that's a bailout. In 2008, the U.S. Treasury provided bailouts to several big banks, insurance companies, and car manufacturers. Anyone receiving much-needed financial assistance gets a bailout, but the term is most often used when a large institution or corporation needs cash and the government provides it. When they face the threat of bankruptcy and failure, businesses appeal for an infusion of money. If the companies are seen as vital to the country's economy or infrastructure, the government may offer a bailout. The maritime origin of bailout describes scooping (or bailing) water out of a sinking boat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bailout bailouts

Plus: Persian Gulf oil exports exceed prewar levels, and Trump pledges an $8 billion bailout for farmers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Energy stocks initially fell on the G-7 bailout move but most rebounded in less than an hour, with ExxonMobil rising 0.2% after an initial drop.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

At the weekend, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he would be meeting JLR bosses this week to "mitigate any job losses", but he ruled out a bailout for the company.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

We know that at the end of the 2024 fiscal year, it carried $51.8 million in debt and needed a university bailout.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

It was like a rerun of the first Coach bailout when he came and picked me up from school and I said pretty much those exact words.

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds

It is currently in the midst of its 25th programme with the Fund -- at least 11 of which have been outright bailouts -- since gaining independence in 1947.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Since then, 675 jobs have been lost through voluntary redundancy, and the university has received bailouts of £40m from the Scottish government and £22m from the Scottish Funding Council.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The South L.A. hospital has operated in the red in recent years and received a total of $68 million in what amount to bailouts from the state and Los Angeles County between 2023 and 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

There is faith that the U.S. government will support prices in the form of stimulus and bailouts.

From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026

Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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