bidding

American  

[bid-ing] / ˈbɪd ɪŋ /

noun

1. command; summons; invitation.

   I went there at his bidding.

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

   The bidding began furiously.

3. a bid.

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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.

bidding British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of bidding

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

Explanation

A person's bidding is what he or she tells you to do for them. You do your brother's bidding when he asks you to bring him his shoes and you comply. Doing your boss's bidding is usually part of a job description, although doing your cousin's or boyfriend's bidding usually isn't required — at least, it shouldn't be. When you are invited to eat at a friend's house, you might have to watch a slide show from his trip to Hawaii after dinner at his bidding. Bidding stems from the verb bid, with its Old English root of biddan, "ask, entreat, beseech, or order."

Example Sentences

And people were bidding on those items, too, before Cohen was banned.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Contributing to the net loss was the $2.8 billion termination fee paid to Netflix in late February when the streaming giant bowed out of the bidding for Warner.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Fresh off winning the bidding war for Warner Bros.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

He previously reported on M&A and finance in WSJ's New York office, writing about deals including Union Pacific's nearly $72 billion agreement to acquire Norfolk Southern and the bidding war over Warner Bros.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

“I think that was better than Finny’s,” said Elwin—better known as Leper—Lepellier, who was bidding for an ally in the dispute he foresaw.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• auction
• tender