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
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.
A number of schools were also forced to close as SEW customers could not shower, bathe or flush their toilets.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Many here lack water to bathe and flush toilets.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 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
In smaller remote settlements, where wages are on average 50% lower, people bathe by hacking out chunks of ice to melt.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
The following morning we got up early to bathe and have our hair freshly braided.
From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince
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.
