bidding

[bid-ing]

noun

1. command; summons; invitation.

   I went there at his bidding.

2. bids bid collectively, or a period during which bids bid are made or received.

   The bidding began furiously.

3. a bid. bide.

bidding

/ ˈbɪdɪŋ /

noun

1. an order; command (often in the phrases do or follow the bidding of , at someone's bidding )

2. an invitation; summons

3. the act of making bids, as at an auction or in bridge

4. bridge a group of bids considered collectively, esp those made on a particular deal

Word History and Origins

Origin of bidding¹

Middle English word dating back to 1125–75; bid ¹, -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. do someone's bidding, to submit to someone's orders; perform services for someone.

   After he was promoted to vice president at the bank, he expected everyone around him to do his bidding.

Example Sentences

“With coaches, there’s an uncertain value of what you’re bidding on, the ‘winning bid’ is often well in excess of the value of the asset.

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Vaughan was evacuated from Gaza last month, bidding goodbye to colleagues and patients who were so malnourished their bones jutted from their skin like tent poles.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The bidding added momentum to an already strong auction season for Indian art.

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“He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York state attorney general.”

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Consider a country where the press is filled with sycophants who do the bidding of the country’s leader.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• auction 
• tender