bide

American  

[bahyd] / baɪd /

verb (used with object)

bided, bode, bided, bid, biding

1. Archaic. to endure; bear.

2. Obsolete. to encounter.

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verb (used without object)

bided, bode, bided, bid, biding

1. to dwell; abide; wait; remain.

   Synonyms:

   tarry, linger, stay

idioms

1. bide one's time, to wait for a favorable opportunity.

   He wanted to ask for a raise, but bided his time.

bide British  

/ baɪd /

verb

1. archaic (intr) to continue in a certain place or state; stay

2. archaic (intr) to live; dwell

3. archaic (tr) to tolerate; endure

4. to stay a little

5. to abide by

6. to wait patiently for an opportunity

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Other Word Forms

• bider noun

Etymology

Origin of bide

before 900; Middle English biden, Old English bīdan; cognate with Old Frisian bīdia, Old Saxon bīdan, Old High German bītan, Old Norse bītha, Gothic beidan, Latin fīdere, Greek peíthesthai to trust, rely < Indo-European *bheidh-; the meaning apparently developed: have trust > endure > wait > abide > remain

Example Sentences

“I have everything prepped for the price raise, but I haven’t implemented it because I’m still trying to bide my time to see what happens,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

She said the lieutenant governor’s role is typically a sleepy perch for politicians as they bide their time to run for higher office.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

The message to her is that if there isn’t anything good out there to buy, investors should just sit tight and be patient— such as bide time in T-bills.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 19, 2025

They were older than me and in an all-boys team, so I had to bide my time a little bit.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025

“Indeed it was: I had as good a right to die when my time came as he had: but I should bide that time, and not be hurried away in a suttee.”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• dwell
• sit tight
• stick around