Showing results for "bid"

• past participle of bide.

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• bid
  bid

  verb (used with object)

  to command; order; direct.
• b.i.d.
  b.i.d.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) twice a day.
• B.I.D.
  B.I.D.

  abbreviation

  Bachelor of Industrial Design.

bid

¹ American  

[bid] / bɪd /

verb (used with object)

bade, bad, bid, bidden, bid, bid, bidding

1. to command; order; direct.

   to bid them depart.

   Synonyms:

   enjoin, require, charge

2. to express (a greeting, farewell, benediction, or wish).

   to bid good night.

3. Commerce. to offer (a certain sum) as the price one will pay or charge.

   They bid $25,000 and got the contract.

   Synonyms:

   proffer, tender, offer

4. Cards. to enter a bid of (a given quantity or suit).

   to bid two no-trump.

5. to summon by invitation; invite.

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verb (used without object)

bade, bad, bid, bidden, bid, bid, bidding

1. to command; order; direct.

   I will do as you bid.

2. to make a bid.

   She bid at the auction for the old chair.

noun

• bids
  plural

1. an act or instance of bidding.

   Synonyms:

   proffer, proposal, offer

2. Cards.

   1. an offer to make a specified number of points or to take a specified number of tricks.

   2. the amount of such an offer.

   3. the turn of a person to bid.

3. an invitation.

   a bid to join the club.

4. an attempt to attain some goal or purpose.

   a bid for election.

5. Also called bid price. Stock Exchange. the highest price a prospective buyer is willing to pay for a security at a given moment.

verb phrase

1. bid up to increase the market price of by increasing bids.

2. bid in to overbid all offers for (property) at an auction in order to retain ownership.

idioms

1. bid fair. fair.

bid ² American  

[bid] / bɪd /

verb

Archaic.

1. past participle of bide.

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b.i.d. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) twice a day.

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B.I.D. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Bachelor of Industrial Design.

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bid ¹ British  

/ bɪd /

verb

1. to offer (an amount) in attempting to buy something, esp in competition with others as at an auction

2. commerce to respond to an offer by a seller by stating (the more favourable terms) on which one is willing to make a purchase

3. (tr) to say (a greeting, blessing, etc)

   to bid farewell

4. to order; command

   do as you are bid!

5. to attempt to attain power, etc

6. (tr) to invite; ask kindly

   she bade him sit down

7. bridge to declare in the auction before play how many tricks one expects to make

8. to resist boldly

9. to seem probable

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noun

1. 1. an offer of a specified amount, as at an auction

   2. the price offered

2. commerce

   1. a statement by a buyer, in response to an offer by a seller, of the more favourable terms that would be acceptable

   2. the price or other terms so stated

3. an attempt, esp an attempt to attain power

4. bridge

   1. the number of tricks a player undertakes to make

   2. a player's turn to make a bid

5. short for bid price

b.i.d. ² British  

abbreviation

1. bis in die

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bidder
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bids
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bid¹

before 900; Middle English bidden, Old English biddan to beg, ask; cognate with Old Frisian bidda, Old Saxon biddian, Old High German bittan ( German bitten ), Old Norse bithja, Gothic bidjan; all < Germanic *bid-ja- (< Indo-European *bhidh- ) command, akin to Greek peíthein to persuade, inspire with trust, English bide

Origin of b.i.d.³

From Latin bis in diē

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Explanation

If you make the winning bid on an item, you offer the highest price and get to take it home. Congratulations, and enjoy your new paper weight! Bid comes from an Old English word meaning “to offer,” which is right in line with its meaning today. To bid is the act of offering a bid, or more generally to try to get something. With several companies bidding for your services, you have a lot to consider. Tip: go where the weather's warmest.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bid bids bad bade bidden bidding

Google agreed to more stringent privacy protections related to information pertaining to former Spirit Airlines employees in its bid to buy data from the bankrupt company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

In spite of it their up-and-down season, the Trojans are still alive in their pursuit of a College Football Playoff bid.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

Even then El-Sayed was confident, but he turned shaky when he reflected on his failed bid for Michigan governor in 2018.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2026

The council has backed a funding bid for the redevelopment of Rugby Art Gallery and a museum which would include a permanent space to display the council-owned collection.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

“I can’t believe there’s another bid for the lot next door! Did you tell Mami?”

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Two state lawmakers from California and Colorado won their bids for Congress by touting their legislative work pushing for artificial intelligence regulations.

From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2026

Now both teams are spiraling toward their annual regular season clambake on Nov. 28 and there’s a possibility nothing will be on the line besides rotten bowl bids and some measly school pride.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2026

Villanueva, on the other hand, has now lost three consecutive elections, including his last two sheriff bids and his failed 2024 campaign for L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

In a standard search campaign, a business sets a budget and bids on specific keywords that trigger text ads to appear when a user types them into the search bar.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026

Tablecloths and nightgowns with the lace tatted by hand bring in high bids.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

That said, in the absence of another FAA hiccup, “I don’t think there are going to be any problems. The only problems will be if there’s bad weather,” DiScala said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026

"When I did bad in school, she called me," Malard says.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

There are lots of reasons to be wary of using AI for medical guidance: It can be biased, sycophantic and dole out bad advice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026

It started with a bad snap, then a sack and then another bad snap on a field-goal attempt, which kept the home team scoreless at halftime.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026

He knew that all knights in armor had a little bad luck now and then.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

The royals packed their suitcases, bade farewell to the palace staff, and climbed into an armored Mercedes that drove them to a nearby rail station.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

White House officials bade farewell on Thursday to one of the two jets that have been used to transport US presidents for more than 30 years.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Some visitors were pictured sobbing as they bade the bears goodbye.

From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026

These words were just over six weeks ago, as the United head coach bade farewell to journalists following the club's end-of-season tour to Asia.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2025

But here, when they knocked, the door was opened wide and a cheerful voice bade them enter.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

When and if you are bidden to the journey by a POC who has granted you a brief visit to the darker side of human nature, explore safely.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2020

Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, and many others may have bidden the show farewell, but Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, and, yes, Ice-T are killing it these days.

From Slate ● Dec. 26, 2014

One day Catholic Foch was bidden to luncheon by Atheist Clemenceau.

From Time Magazine Archive

A messenger arrives as bidden, with all the papers from London.

From Time Magazine Archive

Gawaine observed sarcastically: “It will be safe enough for you, my mannie. We ken the King has bidden Lancelot not hurt ye.”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Sabalenka was bidding for a first success at the season-ending WTA Finals, having made the knockout stages in each of the past four years and lost to Rybakina in last year's showpiece.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

Ciscomani, bidding for a third term, has won two nail-biters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

The tank in your basement is now in a bidding war with a continent.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

By February, when it looked like Netflix had won a bidding war, it had shed nearly $200 billion in market value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

His urgent bidding sounded again in my mind.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

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Related Words

• advance
• offer
• price
• proposal
• request
• suggestion

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