bathe

[ beyth ]

/ beɪð /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: bathe / bathed / bathing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), bathed, bath·ing.

to immerse (all or part of the body) in water or some other liquid, for cleansing, refreshment, etc.

to wet; wash.

to moisten or suffuse with any liquid.

to apply water or other liquid to, with a sponge, cloth, etc.: to bathe a wound.

to wash over or against, as by the action of the sea, a river, etc.: incoming tides bathing the coral reef.

to cover or surround: a shaft of sunlight bathing the room; a morning fog bathing the city.

verb (used without object), bathed, bath·ing.

to take a bath or sunbath.

to swim for pleasure.

to be covered or surrounded as if with water.

noun

British.

the act of bathing, especially in the sea, a lake, or a river.
a swimming bath.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bathe

before 1000; Middle English bath(i)en,Old English bathian, equivalent to bæthbath¹ + -ian infinitive suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM bathe

re·bathe, verb, re·bathed, re·bath·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bathe

bath, bathe

Words nearby bathe

Bat Hayil, Bath bun, Bath chair, Bath chap, bath cube, bathe, bather, bathers, bathetic, bathhouse, Bathinette

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bathe in a sentence

The simple enough reason was – “…for he did not understand the way of the Macedonians, among whom not even a woman who has just given birth bathes in warm water”.
The Mighty Macedonian Phalanx: 6 Things You Should Know|Dattatreya Mandal|July 29, 2022|Realm of History
Jasmin helps her transfer in and out of her wheelchair, get dressed, and bathe.
Care Providers Fight for $15 and a Union|Jasmin Almodovar, Shirley Thompson|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With little water and only a few hours of electricity a day they were unable to shower or bathe the 25 children in the apartment.
Israel’s Campaign to Send Gaza Back to the Stone Age|Jesse Rosenfeld|July 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I remember getting up and going in to bathe him and dress him.
Ireland’s ‘Mother and Baby Home’ Horror Goes Beyond Tuam’s Dead Infants|Patsy McGarry|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Women would first bathe their feet in a mixture of vinegar and natural vegetation.
Corsets, Muslin Disease, and More of the Deadly Fashion Trends|The Fashion Beast Team|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Early in the voyage, he decided to start the day with a sea bathe.
Peter Worthington: Cliff Diver|David Frum|May 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"To bathe in the very heart's blood of the one desired," he added with grave emphasis.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
He helped her to light the lamp; then she went into her room to take off her hat and to bathe her face and hands.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
If a Hindoo happens to touch a Paria as he is passing, he thinks himself defiled, and is obliged to bathe immediately.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Once I had taken him to bathe in the river; this was summer vacation and several boys came with me to help.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
He had gone to bathe in the river, had slipped too far out, and not knowing how to swim had almost been drowned.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji

British Dictionary definitions for bathe

bathe

/ (beɪð) /

verb

(intr) to swim or paddle in a body of open water or a river, esp for pleasure

(tr) to apply liquid to (skin, a wound, etc) in order to cleanse or soothe

to immerse or be immersed in a liquidto bathe machine parts in oil

mainly US and Canadian to wash in a bath

(tr; often passive) to suffuseher face was bathed with radiance

(tr) (of water, the sea, etc) to lap; washwaves bathed the shore

noun

British a swim or paddle in a body of open water or a river

Derived forms of bathe

bather, noun

Word Origin for bathe

Old English bathian; related to Old Norse batha, Old High German badōn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bathe

Origin of bathe

OTHER WORDS FROM bathe

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bathe

Words nearby bathe

Words related to bathe

How to use bathe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bathe

Derived forms of bathe

Word Origin for bathe