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

Or, maybe, investors are just biding their time ahead of some real news later this week.

From Barron's

Henry bides his time, watching other subjects closely before befriending Eleven.

From BBC

In the previously uncollected poems we find Heaney working out forms, responding to social occasions, sometimes fumbling or biding his time but always doing the digging with his pen.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

I have a novel suggestion: If you’re going to splurge on a ski trip, bide your time for the best season—spring.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dwell
• sit tight
• stick around