bail

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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

bail^¹

/beɪl/ US, UK
/bæɪl/ Australia
/beːl/ India, North
/bejl/ India, South

Sounds like bale · Rhymes with -eɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English baille, from the Old French verb bailler (“to deliver or hand over”) and noun bail (“lease”), from Latin bāiulāre (“carry or bear”), from baiulus (“porter; steward”) (English: bailiff).

noun bails

countable, uncountable Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial. He was granted bail for £20000.
UK, countable, uncountable Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.
UK, countable, uncountable The person providing such payment.
countable, uncountable A bucket or scoop used for removing water from a boat etc. The bail of a canoe […] made of a human skull.
countable, uncountable A person who bails water out of a boat.
countable, obsolete, uncountable Custody; keeping. Silly Faunus now within their baile.

verb bails · bailing · bailed

To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail. For the first time, the arrests broadened beyond payments to police, with a Ministry of Defence employee and a member of the Armed forces held by police before also being bailed to a date in May.
To release a person under such guarantee.
To hand over personal property to be held temporarily by another as a bailment. to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier
intransitive, transitive To remove (water) from a boat by scooping it out. to bail water out of a boat
transitive To remove water from (a boat) by scooping it out. to bail a boat
To set free; to deliver; to release. Ne none there was to reskue her, ne none to baile.

bail^²

/beɪl/ US, UK
/bæɪl/ Australia
/beːl/ India, North
/bejl/ India, South

Sounds like bale · Rhymes with -eɪl

Where it comes from

From a shortening of bail out, ultimately same as above.

verb bails · bailing · bailed

intransitive, slang To leave or exit abruptly. With his engine in flames, the pilot had no choice but to bail.
informal, intransitive To fail to meet a commitment (to a person). "No one bails on Bennie Milagros. No one, comprende? I'm gonna hold you to that midnight run — "

bail^³

/beɪl/ US, UK
/bæɪl/ Australia
/beːl/ India, North
/bejl/ India, South

Sounds like bale · Rhymes with -eɪl

Where it comes from

From Middle English beyle, from Old English bīeġels, from bīeġan + -els.

noun bails

A hoop, ring or handle (especially of a kettle or bucket). I reached across beneath the cow to attach a metal bail to each end of the strap so that the bail hung about 5 inches below the cow's belly.[…]While stroking and talking to the cow, I reached under and suspended the machine on the bail beneath the cow, with its four suction cups dangling to one side
A stall for a cow (or other animal) (usually tethered with a semi-circular hoop). 1953, British Institute of Management, Centre for Farm Management, Farm Management Association, Farm Management, 1960, John Wiley, page 160, More recently, the fixed bail, sometimes called the ‘milking parlour’, with either covered or open yards, has had a certain vogue and some very enthusiastic cl
A hinged bar as a restraint for animals, or on a typewriter.
Australia, New Zealand A frame to restrain a cow during milking or feeding. She had the next bail to me, and told me off in between bucketfuls of milk.
A hoop, ring, or other object used to connect a pendant to a necklace.
One of the two wooden crosspieces that rest on top of the stumps to form a wicket. As Jason Roy's throw came in from deep mid-wicket, a diving Guptill was short when Buttler removed the bails, sending England and the whole of Lord's into delirious celebrations.
Normally curved handle suspended between sockets as a drawer pull. This may also be on a kettle or pail.

verb bails · bailing · bailed

To secure the head of a cow during milking.

bail^⁴

/beɪl/ US, UK
/bæɪl/ Australia
/beːl/ India, North
/bejl/ India, South

Sounds like bale · Rhymes with -eɪl

Where it comes from

Borrowed from French baillier.

verb bails · bailing · bailed

rare To confine.
Australia, New Zealand To secure (a cow) by placing its head in a bail for milking.
Australia, New Zealand, usually, with up To keep (a traveller) detained in order to rob them; to corner (a wild animal); loosely, to detain, hold up. The transition over the rooftop would have been quicker if Sellers had not been bailed up by a particularly hostile spiritual presence speaking Swedish.

Bail^⁵

proper noun Bails

A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: bail bond, bond, remand, parole, recognizance, probation, borrow, suretyship, lease, leasehold, guarantor, lender, sponsorship, rescue, guarantee, save

Translations

Every language

noun security

Español	fianza, caución
한국어	보석금 boseokgeum
日本語	保釈金 hoshakukin
中文	保釋金 /保释金 bǎoshìjīn
Português	fiança, caução
Français	caution
Deutsch	Kaution
Italiano	cauzione
Ελληνικά	εγγύηση engýisi
Română	cauțiune
Русский	зало́г zalóg
Tiếng Việt	tiền tại ngoại
العربية	كَفَالَة kafāla
עברית	ערבות arvut

noun release from imprisonment on payment of such money

Español	libertad bajo fianza, excarcelación so caución
한국어	보석 boseok
日本語	保釈 hoshaku
中文	保釋 /保释 bǎoshì
Português	fiança
Français	libération sous caution, liberté sous caution
Italiano	libertà provvisoria
Русский	освобождение под залог osvoboždenije pod zalog
Tiếng Việt	tại ngoại, tại ngoại hậu cứu

noun person providing such payment.

Português	fiador
Français	caution
Ελληνικά	εγγυητής engyitís
Русский	залогодатель zalogodatelʹ
Tiếng Việt	người đóng tiền tại ngoại

noun bucket or scoop

Español	balde
Português	balde
Français	écope
Italiano	sassola

noun person who bails

Português	baldeador

verb to secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail

Español	excarcelar, desencarcelar
Deutsch	Kaution stellen

verb to remove water

Español	achicar
Português	baldear
Français	écoper
Deutsch	leerpumpen
Italiano	sgottare
Русский	отчерпывать otčerpyvatʹ, вычёрпывать vyčórpyvatʹ

verb to remove water from by scooping

Deutsch	ausschöpfen

noun hoop, ring or handle

Français	anse

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Cite this

MLA

"bail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bail. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bail. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bail

Chicago

"bail." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bail.

BibTeX

@misc{bail_2026,
  title = {bail},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bail},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}

bail

AI In plain words

bail¹

Where it comes from

noun bails

verb bails · bailing · bailed

bail²

Where it comes from

verb bails · bailing · bailed

bail³

Where it comes from

noun bails

verb bails · bailing · bailed

bail⁴

Where it comes from

verb bails · bailing · bailed

Bail⁵

proper noun Bails

Thesaurus

Translations

noun security

noun release from imprisonment on payment of such money

noun person providing such payment.

noun bucket or scoop

noun person who bails

verb to secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail

verb to remove water

verb to remove water from by scooping

noun hoop, ring or handle

bail^¹

bail^²

bail^³

bail^⁴

Bail^⁵