bathe
Americanverb (used with object)
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to immerse (all or part of the body) in water or some other liquid, for cleansing, refreshment, etc.
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to wet; wash.
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to moisten or suffuse with any liquid.
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to apply water or other liquid to, with a sponge, cloth, etc..
to bathe a wound.
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to wash over or against, as by the action of the sea, a river, etc..
incoming tides bathing the coral reef.
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to cover or surround.
a shaft of sunlight bathing the room; a morning fog bathing the city.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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(intr) to swim or paddle in a body of open water or a river, esp for pleasure
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(tr) to apply liquid to (skin, a wound, etc) in order to cleanse or soothe
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to immerse or be immersed in a liquid
to bathe machine parts in oil
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to wash in a bath
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(tr; often passive) to suffuse
her face was bathed with radiance
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(tr) (of water, the sea, etc) to lap; wash
waves bathed the shore
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bathesimple
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bathessimple
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have bathedperfect
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has bathedperfect
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am bathingprogressive
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are bathingprogressive
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is bathingprogressive
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have been bathingperfect progressive
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has been bathingperfect progressive
Past
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bathedsimple
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had bathedperfect
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was bathingprogressive
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were bathingprogressive
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had been bathingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bathe
before 1000; Middle English bath ( i ) en, Old English bathian, equivalent to bæth bath 1 + -ian infinitive suffix
Explanation
When you bathe, you wash yourself. A cat bathes itself by licking its fur with a rough tongue. If you're human, don't try that technique. The word bathe generally means to clean yourself in a tub of water — as opposed to shower, which means to wash beneath a stream of water. You can, however, use this verb to describe almost any kind of cleansing: you might bathe the scrape on a child's knee with a soapy cloth. Poetically, the sun can also bathe, or saturate, something with light. In Britain, to bathe also means "to swim."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As part of the process, Regis has recorded many of the day-to-day tasks they confront, including navigating Medicaid options and helping her wash and bathe.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026
She also wants to add a water feature where birds and butterflies can bathe and sip, and she plans to plant more berries to attract more pollinators.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
She played the album nonstop: “I was known not to take requests, but now I wouldn’t even change the album. Everyone in the bar was obliged to bathe in the sounds of the future.”
From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026
Even with the help of her daughter, who regularly helps bathe her brother, Wu only sleeps three to five hours a night.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
There was gentle soap in the sample case already so she could bathe him in the kitchen right away.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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.
