bout

[ bout ]

/ baʊt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bout ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a contest or trial of strength, as of boxing.

period; session; spell: a bout of illness.

a turn at work or any action.

a going and returning across a field, as in mowing or reaping.

Nearby words

bourtree, bouse, bousouki, boustrophedon, bousy, bout, boutade, boutel, boutique, boutique brewery, bouton

Origin of bout

1535–45; variant of obsolete bought bend, turn, derivative of bow bow¹; see bight

SYNONYMS FOR bout

1 match, fray, encounter.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bout ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bout

Regardless of how one wrestles with Noam Chomsky, one does always wrestle, leaving the bout much smarter and stronger.
Noam Chomsky—Infuriating and Necessary|David Masciotra|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Omran managed to finish high school despite his bout with cancer and two wars in three years.
Beating Cancer & Dodging Israel's Bombs|Itay Hod|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A bout with a life-threatening—though not life-ending—illness is always good awards bait.
'SNL' Star Kate McKinnon's Big, 'Awesome,' Emmy-Nominated Year|Kevin Fallon|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And this was before his infamous “We’re talking ‘bout practice?”
How Sneaker Culture Conquered the World|William O’Connor|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Lincoln would endure bout after bout of the hypos, until a permanent sadness settled onto his sallow face.
Making Lincoln Sexy: Jerome Charyn’s Fictional President|Tom LeClair|March 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I heard 'em talkin' 'bout freedom an' de war but I didn't know or care nothin' 'bout it.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, North Carolina Narratives, Part 2|Work Projects Administration
The overseer knowed all 'bout it but he et as much as anybody else and kept his mouth shut.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States|Work Projects Administration
I didn't want to do it, 'count o' Ma, partly; but we kep' worryin' an' worryin' 'bout ye.
The Bacillus of Beauty|Harriet Stark
After this bout she was glad to rest a day or two, but in another week was ready for the Woman Suffrage Festival.
Julia Ward Howe|Laura E. Richards
I talks to my captain 'bout Massa Frank and wants to go to see him.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves.|Work Projects Administration

British Dictionary definitions for bout

bout

/ (baʊt) /

noun

a period of time spent doing something, such as drinking
a period of illness

a contest or fight, esp a boxing or wrestling match

Word Origin for bout

C16: variant of obsolete bought turn; related to German Bucht bight; see about

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012