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• bath
  bath

  noun

  a washing or immersion of something, especially the body, in water, steam, etc., as for cleansing or medical treatment.
• Bath
  Bath

  noun

  a city in Avon, in SW England: mineral springs.
• Ba'th
  Ba'th

  noun

  an Arab Socialist party, esp in Iraq and Syria, founded by Michel Aflaq in 1941. It attempts to combine Marxism with pan-Islamic nationalism

bath

¹ American  

[bath, bahth] / bæθ, bɑθ /

noun

• baths
  plural

1. a washing or immersion of something, especially the body, in water, steam, etc., as for cleansing or medical treatment.

   I take a bath every day. Give the dog a bath.

2. a quantity of water or other liquid used for this purpose.

   running a bath.

3. a container for water or other cleansing liquid, as a bathtub.

4. a room equipped for bathing; bathroom.

   The house has two baths.

5. a building containing rooms or apartments with equipment for bathing; bathhouse.

6. Often baths one of the elaborate bathing establishments of the ancients.

   the baths of Caracalla.

7. Usually baths a town or resort visited for medical treatment by bathing or the like; spa.

8. a preparation, as an acid solution, in which something is immersed.

9. the container for such a preparation.

10. a device for controlling the temperature of something by the use of a surrounding medium, as sand, water, oil, etc.

11. Metallurgy.

    1. the depressed hearth of a steelmaking furnace.

    2. the molten metal being made into steel in a steelmaking furnace.

12. the state of being covered by a liquid, as perspiration.

    in a bath of sweat.

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verb (used with or without object)

Chiefly British.

• baths,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bathed,
  past participle,  past
• bathing
  present participle

1. to wash or soak in a bath.

idioms

1. take a bath, to suffer a large financial loss.

   Many investors are taking a bath on their bond investments.

bath ² American  

[bath] / bæθ /

noun

1. a Hebrew unit of liquid measure, equal to a quantity varying between 10 and 11 U.S. gallons (38 and 42 liters).

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Bath ³ American  

[bath, bahth] / bæθ, bɑθ /

noun

1. a city in Avon, in SW England: mineral springs.

2. a seaport in SW Maine.

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bath ¹ British  

/ bɑːθ /

noun

1. a large container, esp one made of enamelled iron or plastic, used for washing or medically treating the body

2. the act or an instance of washing in such a container

3. the amount of liquid contained in a bath

4. to turn on the taps to fill a bath with water for bathing oneself

5. (usually plural) a place that provides baths or a swimming pool for public use

6. 1. a vessel in which something is immersed to maintain it at a constant temperature, to process it photographically, electrolytically, etc, or to lubricate it

   2. the liquid used in such a vessel

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verb

1. to wash in a bath

Ba'th ² British  

/ bɑːθ /

noun

1. an Arab Socialist party, esp in Iraq and Syria, founded by Michel Aflaq in 1941. It attempts to combine Marxism with pan-Islamic nationalism

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Bath ³ British  

/ bɑːθ /

noun

1. Latin name: Aquae Sulis.  a city in SW England, in Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, on the River Avon: famous for its hot springs; a fashionable spa in the 18th century; Roman remains, notably the baths; university (1966). Pop: 90 144 (2001)

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bath ⁴ British  

/ bæθ /

noun

1. an ancient Hebrew unit of liquid measure equal to about 8.3 Imperial gallons or 10 US gallons

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bath More Idioms  

1. see take a bath; throw out the baby with the bath water.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Ba′thism
  noun
• Ba′thist
  noun
• Ba′thi
  adjective
• bathless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• baths
  plural

Participles

• bathing
  present
• bathed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bath
  simple
• baths
  simple
• have bathed
  perfect
• has bathed
  perfect
• am bathing
  progressive
• are bathing
  progressive
• is bathing
  progressive
• have been bathing
  perfect progressive
• has been bathing
  perfect progressive

Past

• bathed
  simple
• had bathed
  perfect
• was bathing
  progressive
• were bathing
  progressive
• had been bathing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bath
  simple
• will have bathed
  perfect
• will be bathing
  progressive
• will have been bathing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bath¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun bath, beth, beath, Old English bæth; cognate with Old Frisian beth, Old Saxon, Old Norse bath, German Bad; from Germanic bátha-n “what is warmed,” from a root meaning “to warm”

Origin of bath²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bath(us), batus, from Latin batus, from Greek bátos, from Hebrew bath

Explanation

The action of soaking or washing yourself in water is a bath. You might take a bubble bath to relax before bed after a stressful day. Your soak in soapy water is a bath, and the tub in which you're lying is also a bath. Other containers of water are baths too, particularly in cooking: "If the custard's sitting in a hot water bath, it will cook more evenly." While the Old English root bæð means "immersing in water," it also means "immersing in mud." If an investor "takes a bath," it means, colloquially, that she loses a lot of money.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bath Bath Ba'th baths bathed bathing

But for me, the ruling brought to mind Klotz’s orange soda bath and empty boasts.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

“Who would think to fill up an ice bath from a water faucet on a rooftop in Chelsea?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

A Wayfair coupon helped me score two fancy bath mats at a steep markdown.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

I said it before and I’ll say it again: More U.S. hotels should have beach-towel sized bath towels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

I may take one hot bath a week, and the water may reach only to the crusty stain ringing the inside of the tub.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

After losing his father at age 12, Curry earned a scholarship to the Kingswood School in Bath.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Bath & Body Works posted a profit of $118 million, or 58 cents a share, compared with $64 million, or 30 cents a share, a year earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

"It's proven to me I can do university and I will be able to succeed," Tabby said, who will be going to Bath Spa University.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

In areas like Weston-super-Mare, Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham and Warminster people gathered to watch the phenomenon with special glasses, alongside DIY viewers who looked through cereal boxes and colanders.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The Bishop of Bath and Wells said, “Now me lad, what’s your story, eh? And don't tell any porkies, remember as how you’re talkin’ to a bishop.”

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Luxury spa days, floating sound baths in five-star hotels, retreats costing thousands of pounds; these are all wonderful, if you can afford them.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

According to Zillow, the building is 2,386 square feet, with one and a half baths.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

That, and sitting in salt rooms and mud baths or gazing at the bottom of our stand mixer’s bowl.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

I can take up to three hot baths in a day if I have a great bathtub, if everybody’s taken care of.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

He was saying, “Still no shower baths, though,” but it got choked off in the middle.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

Rickards and others spoke of Parton's unifying spirit, her devotion to mountainous, working-class East Tennessee, and how the singer-songwriter's presence bathed the region in a sort of country glamor.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Bordeaux was bathed in sunshine on the afternoon of Saturday, 11 June, tens of thousands of Welsh supporters descending on the French city for their opening game against Slovakia.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Shimmering silver foil curtains hung from the front windows and the adjacent workout room, equipped with a mirrored wall and barres, was bathed in soft bubble-gum pink light.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

For decades, the U.S. has maintained a program in which these flies are bred in a lab, bathed in sterilizing radiation and released around Panama, which prevents the insect from creeping northward.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

They had taken them into the mill, bathed their wounds, and given them food and drink.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

Each floor will have two neighborhoods, where staff will prepare meals for residents and assist residents with their daily needs, such as bathing and getting dressed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

But first, you will need to provide documentation showing that he requires long-term care and needs help bathing, dressing and eating, among other essential tasks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

With sewage spills and bathing water quality often in the headlines, more people are asking how clean the water is before taking a dip.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

She and her family, unable to return to their hotel, were evacuated from an island spot in their bathing suits.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Geoff Graham’s parents have a hot tub, so she wraps her bathing suit up in a towel.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

• bathroom
• lavatory
• restroom
• sauna
• shower
• toilet