a washing or immersion of something, especially the body, in water, steam, etc., as for cleansing or medical treatment.
I take a bath every day. Give the dog a bath.
a quantity of water or other liquid used for this purpose.
running a bath.
a container for water or other cleansing liquid, as a bathtub.
a room equipped for bathing; bathroom.
The house has two baths.
a building containing rooms or apartments with equipment for bathing; bathhouse.
Often baths one of the elaborate bathing establishments of the ancients.
the baths of Caracalla.
Usually baths a town or resort visited for medical treatment by bathing or the like; spa.
a preparation, as an acid solution, in which something is immersed.
the container for such a preparation.
a device for controlling the temperature of something by the use of a surrounding medium, as sand, water, oil, etc.
Metallurgy.
the depressed hearth of a steelmaking furnace.
the molten metal being made into steel in a steelmaking furnace.
the state of being covered by a liquid, as perspiration.
in a bath of sweat.
a city in Avon, in SW England: mineral springs.
a seaport in SW Maine.
a large container, esp one made of enamelled iron or plastic, used for washing or medically treating the body
the act or an instance of washing in such a container
the amount of liquid contained in a bath
to turn on the taps to fill a bath with water for bathing oneself
(usually plural) a place that provides baths or a swimming pool for public use
a vessel in which something is immersed to maintain it at a constant temperature, to process it photographically, electrolytically, etc, or to lubricate it
the liquid used in such a vessel
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun bath, beth, beath, Old English bæth; cognate with Old Frisian beth, Old Saxon, Old Norse bath, German Bad; from Germanic bátha-n “what is warmed,” from a root meaning “to warm”
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bath(us), batus, from Latin batus, from Greek bátos, from Hebrew bath
The action of soaking or washing yourself in water is a bath. You might take a bubble bath to relax before bed after a stressful day. Your soak in soapy water is a bath, and the tub in which you're lying is also a bath. Other containers of water are baths too, particularly in cooking: "If the custard's sitting in a hot water bath, it will cook more evenly." While the Old English root bæð means "immersing in water," it also means "immersing in mud." If an investor "takes a bath," it means, colloquially, that she loses a lot of money.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"To say that the circumstances surrounding how they came to be in the bath are unusual would be an understatement," Raper said in the judgement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
I put Epsom salt with magnesium in the bath.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
A splash mixed with olive oil, garlic and herbs creates a flavorful bath for chicken, pork or shrimp.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
If there has been rain the night before, the hawk will take a bath in a puddle on the court's roof.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
"Good afternoon, ma'am. I was in earlier? You guys gave me a bow after my bath?"
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
You’ll also find lobstermen in Bath, a Kennebec River city 40 minutes by car up the coast from Portland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
But Pete Etchells, professor of science communication at Bath Spa University, cautioned against relying too much on them.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Widdecombe was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1947 and went on to study Latin at Birmingham University, then Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University, before being elected as a Runnymede District councillor.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Widdecombe was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1947 and went on to study Latin at Birmingham University, then philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Dearest People, Here I really sit at a front window of the Bath Hotel, Piccadilly.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country.
From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
The estate, in Incline Village, Nev., boasts 10 bedrooms, 12 full baths and panoramic views of the lake’s north shore and the Sierra Nevada.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
All of the bedrooms feature en suite baths, including the primary suite found on the main floor.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
As part of the bedtime routine, the NHS UK website, external recommends lukewarm baths.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
She leads cacao ceremonies, sound baths, and energy work sessions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
After four days on the train, with no baths except for the sponge variety, we were not very sanitary when we reached California.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
A warm bowl of my mother’s homemade soup, complete with a pack of instant noodles bathed in a gingery collagen-rich bone broth and topped with fresh corn, bok choy and a soft-boiled egg, was medicine.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
In the message, recorded before the crash, Javed described a dream: two angels had come for him and, before taking him away, bathed him in a fragrance that smelled of roses.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
The movie’s title and setting—an endless expanse of deserted, largely furniture-free office space bathed in sickly yellow—come from a crowd-sourced urban legend or “creepypasta” that spread online before the pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The inquiry heard evidence from an Aboriginal community living near a navy base in New South Wales state, who bathed in and gathered food near rivers contaminated by firefighting foam.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
She stared as the moon bathed him in its luminous light and he seemed to glow.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
Long-term services and support include medical and personal-care services like medication management and help with bathing, dressing, eating, walking and toileting.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Like most Korean spas, Spa Hyu offers hot and cold pools for bathing in the buff, with separate men’s and women’s soaking areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
"I don't know if I look good in a bathing suit. I haven't had a bathing suit in a long time. I'm too busy," Trump said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
He stops shaving, bathing or wearing shoes and begins preaching the joys of simplicity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
It is well known that the king’s doctors have warned him that bathing causes the plague, and he has taken this advice to heart.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
