at bay

Idioms  

1. Cornered, in distress, as in Angry bystanders chased the thief into an alley and held him at bay until the police arrived. This idiom originally came from hunting, where it describes an animal that has been driven back and now faces pursuing hounds. Its use for other situations dates from the late 1500s.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at bay

He said universities taking on more students meant less popular courses, such as modern languages, could be kept running, keeping staff redundancies at bay.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Vaccines, masking, improved indoor air quality and acquired immunity have all kept the virus at bay so that morgue trucks no longer fill the streets.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

Oral care is key to keeping diabetes and other diseases at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Keep the post-World Cup blues at bay by watching these 15 international series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Schmid made the arrangements for Bobby to stay in Pulvermühle and, to keep journalists at bay, had him register under an assumed name.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• captured
• cornered