bailout

American  

[beyl-out] / 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

Etymology

Origin of bailout

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

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

Reynolds told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg the meeting early next week will focus on ways to "mitigate any job losses" but ruled out a bailout for the company.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

The moves aren’t the same as a bailout, he said, but it’s along the lines of providing support.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The government, already in the red before the pandemic, secured a landmark debt restructuring with official and private creditors, unlocking an IMF bailout and easing pressure on public finances.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

As Greece’s finance minister from 2009 to 2011, he negotiated the first bailout and the early stages of the second.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 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

Meanwhile the yields on French government debt traded on bond markets recently rose above those of Greece, which required the biggest EU bailouts after the 2008 global financial crisis.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

He’s sticking to his mantra of “responsible growth,” unwilling to re-create the highflying days of Bank of America’s past that led to government bailouts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 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