bid
verb (used with object)
to command; order; direct.
bid
1 American
[bid]
/ bɪd /
verb (used with object)
bade,
bad,
bid,
bidden,
bid,
bid,
bidding
-
to command; order; direct.
to bid them depart.
-
to express (a greeting, farewell, benediction, or wish).
to bid good night.
-
Commerce. to offer (a certain sum) as the price one will pay or charge.
They bid $25,000 and got the contract.
-
Cards. to enter a bid of (a given quantity or suit).
to bid two no-trump.
-
to summon by invitation; invite.
verb (used without object)
bade,
bad,
bid,
bidden,
bid,
bid,
bidding
-
to command; order; direct.
I will do as you bid.
-
to make a bid.
She bid at the auction for the old chair.
noun
-
bids
plural
-
an act or instance of bidding.
-
Cards.
-
an offer to make a specified number of points or to take a specified number of tricks.
-
the amount of such an offer.
-
the turn of a person to bid.
-
-
an invitation.
a bid to join the club.
-
an attempt to attain some goal or purpose.
a bid for election.
-
Also called bid price. Stock Exchange. the highest price a prospective buyer is willing to pay for a security at a given moment.
verb phrase
-
bid up to increase the market price of by increasing bids.
-
bid in to overbid all offers for (property) at an auction in order to retain ownership.
idioms
bid
2
American
[bid]
/ bɪd /
verb
Archaic.
b.i.d.
3
American
abbreviation
B.I.D.
4
American
abbreviation
bid
1
British
/ bɪd /
verb
-
to offer (an amount) in attempting to buy something, esp in competition with others as at an auction
-
commerce to respond to an offer by a seller by stating (the more favourable terms) on which one is willing to make a purchase
-
(tr) to say (a greeting, blessing, etc)
to bid farewell
-
to order; command
do as you are bid!
-
to attempt to attain power, etc
-
(tr) to invite; ask kindly
she bade him sit down
-
bridge to declare in the auction before play how many tricks one expects to make
-
to resist boldly
-
to seem probable
noun
-
-
an offer of a specified amount, as at an auction
-
the price offered
-
-
commerce
-
a statement by a buyer, in response to an offer by a seller, of the more favourable terms that would be acceptable
-
the price or other terms so stated
-
-
an attempt, esp an attempt to attain power
-
bridge
-
the number of tricks a player undertakes to make
-
a player's turn to make a bid
-
-
short for bid price
b.i.d.
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of bid1
before 900; Middle English bidden, Old English biddan to beg, ask; cognate with Old Frisian bidda, Old Saxon biddian, Old High German bittan ( German bitten ), Old Norse bithja, Gothic bidjan; all < Germanic *bid-ja- (< Indo-European *bhidh- ) command, akin to Greek peíthein to persuade, inspire with trust, English bide
Origin of b.i.d.3
From Latin bis in diē
Explanation
If you make the winning bid on an item, you offer the highest price and get to take it home. Congratulations, and enjoy your new paper weight! Bid comes from an Old English word meaning “to offer,” which is right in line with its meaning today. To bid is the act of offering a bid, or more generally to try to get something. With several companies bidding for your services, you have a lot to consider. Tip: go where the weather's warmest.
Vocabulary lists containing bid
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Lee's General Order No. 9: A Farewell Address
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Bills changed their head coach in a bid to finally reach the Super Bowl with star quarterback Josh Allen, promoting offensive co-ordinator Joe Brady to the top job.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
He has pledged more than $40 billion to support his son, Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison’s hostile bid to acquire Warner Bros. in a nearly $80 billion deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
US President Donald Trump asked the Smithsonian Institution on Friday to install statues of George Washington, in his latest bid to reshape the treasured museum and research complex.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Now comes nerve-jangling Korean director Na Hong-jin, long a revered force in genre cinema thanks to “The Yellow Sea” and “The Wailing,” with his own bid for immortality, the alien-monster tempest “Hope.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Lydia was bid by her two eldest sisters to hold her tongue; but Mr. Collins, much offended, laid aside his book, and said:
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Once a thriving retail destination valued at $1.2 billion, San Francisco Centre is back on the market, with bids expected to top out at just $130 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Sabalenka will next face either American third seed Jessica Pegula or her compatriot Emma Navarro, seeded 26th, as she bids to reach a fourth consecutive US Open final.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Local restaurant Münchner Stubn sued the city in May after it lost bids to manage larger tents, alleging the process favors families that have run tents for generations by awarding points for tradition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
In July, while taking bids for figurines from the Sonny Angels summer vacation-themed collection, one of the rare ones got a bid of more than $400.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
“Wise Masters, you honor us. His Radiance King Hizdahr bids welcome to his friends from Yunkai. We understand—” “Understand this.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Too bad air quality can’t be like that all the time.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
“These guys are really bad at this,” Johnson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
But it wasn't all bad news for Sony's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
More bad news on inflation achieved something Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has struggled to deliver: calm in long-dated U.S. bond yields.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 13, 2026
Things that are difficult to pronounce, or obscure terms that Americans aren’t familiar with —those are bad code names.”
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The royals packed their suitcases, bade farewell to the palace staff, and climbed into an armored Mercedes that drove them to a nearby rail station.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
White House officials bade farewell on Thursday to one of the two jets that have been used to transport US presidents for more than 30 years.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Some visitors were pictured sobbing as they bade the bears goodbye.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2026
Both are alarmed by the sudden reappearance of a Frenchman nicknamed Beast, to whom they’d each bade goodbye years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
And he bade Cuckoo go and ask the cousin what slave he would have since he had seen them all.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
When and if you are bidden to the journey by a POC who has granted you a brief visit to the darker side of human nature, explore safely.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2020
Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, and many others may have bidden the show farewell, but Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, and, yes, Ice-T are killing it these days.
From Slate ● Dec. 26, 2014
Mrs. Hinderer did as she was bidden and is now, from all reports, still domesticated upon the banks of the Kankakee.
From Time Magazine Archive
Hallowed by custom on many a U. S. campus are those annual rites to which prospective football material from nearby high schools is bidden to be entertained, inspected and secured.
From Time Magazine Archive
I recall I was a little taken aback when Miss Kenton opened the door and entered before I had bidden her to do so.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
The 29-year-old Briton is bidding for the crowning moment of his 10-year professional career at T-Mobile Arena.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Around the country, students who learn about the artwork in history classes are gearing up for school trips, while businesses are bidding to capitalise on some of the fervour.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Scharpf said courts upheld the bidding process in the past.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
City officials said the project’s final estimated cost was unknown, as was the timing for bidding and construction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
Eril-Fane was bidding the queen farewell, and the mathematician and natural philosopher were with them, too.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
