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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at bay

That looked as if it might be decisive, but in the end Verstappen was comfortably able to keep Antonelli at bay, crossing the line 3.6 seconds ahead.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

She subsequently underwent brain surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in an effort to keep the cancer at bay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Fajar Budiyono, secretary-general of the Association of Olefin, Aromatic, Plastic and Chemical Industries in Indonesia, said a shift to suppliers in places like China and Africa has helped keep prices at bay.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

She puts a lot of effort into home decoration and entertaining guests as she tries to keep Joe’s churlishness at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

The Scanlan lifeguards doused themselves in pure vanilla to keep the gnats at bay.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

Related Words

• captured
• cornered