# bail

Pronunciation: say "BAYL" /beɪ(ə)l/

## Noun

1. Money or other security given to a court in exchange for an arrested person's release, guaranteeing they will appear for trial.
   - Simple: Money paid to a court so an arrested person can go free until their trial.
   - _The court granted bail after the defense argued she posed no flight risk._
   - _Prosecutors asked the judge to deny bail given the seriousness of the charges._
7. Release from custody granted once the required security payment has been made to the court. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Being let out of jail after the money a court asks for is paid.
   - _The defendant was released on bail pending his court appearance._
   - _After a brief hearing, the magistrate granted bail._
8. A bucket or scoop used for removing water from a boat or similar vessel.
   - Simple: A bucket or scoop for taking water out of a boat.
   - _She reached for the bail to clear the rising water from the hull._
   - _Every dinghy should carry a bail tied to a thwart._
9. Either of the two small wooden bars laid across the tops of the stumps to complete a wicket in cricket.
   - Simple: One of two small wooden pieces that rest on top of the stumps in cricket.
   - _The bowler clipped the off stump and sent a bail spinning._
   - _In high winds the umpires removed the bails to keep play fair._
10. The person who provides the security that secures an arrested person's release. *(UK)*
   - Simple: The person who pays money to a court so an arrested person can go free.
   - _Her employer agreed to act as bail at the hearing._
   - _Without anyone willing to be his bail, he remained in custody._
13. A hoop, ring, or curved handle, especially the semicircular one fitted to a bucket or kettle.
   - Simple: The curved handle on top of a bucket or kettle.
   - _He hooked a finger under the bail and swung the pail onto the bench._
   - _A loose rivet let the bail come away from the bucket._
15. A normally curved handle suspended between two sockets, used as a drawer pull and also found on kettles or pails.
   - Simple: A curved handle that hangs between two fixed points, used to pull open a drawer.
   - _He polished the tarnished bail before reattaching it to the cabinet._
   - _Each drawer pull was a simple curved bail that swung freely in its sockets._
16. A hoop, ring, or other small fitting used to connect a pendant to a necklace.
   - Simple: A small loop or ring that joins a pendant to the chain of a necklace.
   - _The jeweler soldered a new bail onto the back of the stone setting._
   - _A decorative bail can frame the top of a pendant as much as hold it._
17. A hinged bar used as a restraint for an animal, or the corresponding paper-holding bar on a typewriter.
   - Simple: A hinged bar that holds an animal still, or that holds paper on a typewriter.
   - _A sturdy bail held the heifer steady while the vet examined her._
   - _The typewriter's bail pressed the page flat against the roller._
18. A stall for a cow or other animal, usually one where the animal is tethered with a semicircular hoop.
   - Simple: A stall where a cow or other animal is kept, often held in place with a curved hoop.
   - _The dairy hand led each cow into a separate bail._
   - _A wooden bail held the heifer while the farmer checked her hooves._
19. A frame used to hold a cow in place during milking or feeding. *(Australia, New Zealand)*
   - Simple: A frame that holds a cow still while it is milked or fed.
   - _Modern dairies fit each bail with padded sides for comfort._
   - _The farmer closed the bail around the cow's neck so she would stand still._
23. A person who scoops water out of a boat to keep it from sinking.
   - Simple: Someone whose job is to scoop water out of a boat.
   - _As bail, he scooped water nonstop while the others rowed._
   - _The fishing crew relied on a steady bail to keep them afloat._

## Verb

2. To obtain an arrested person's release by paying the security a court requires.
   - Simple: To pay money so an arrested person can leave jail before trial.
   - _A bondsman agreed to bail the defendant for a ten percent fee._
   - _Friends pooled their savings to bail him before the hearing._
3. To leave or exit somewhere abruptly, often without explanation. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To leave a place suddenly, often without warning.
   - _Halfway through the meeting, she just bailed without a word._
   - _If things get awkward, I usually bail early._
4. To fail to follow through on a commitment to someone, especially by backing out at the last moment. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To break a promise to someone, often at the last minute.
   - _He bailed on the group project and left everyone scrambling._
   - _I hate to bail, but something urgent has come up._
5. To remove water from a boat by scooping it out with a container.
   - Simple: To scoop water out of a boat to keep it from sinking.
   - _She grabbed a bucket and began to bail water from the flooded dinghy._
   - _They bailed frantically as waves crashed over the side._
6. To clear a boat of the water that has collected inside it by scooping it out.
   - Simple: To empty a boat by scooping out the water inside it.
   - _They bailed the dinghy as quickly as they could._
   - _You'll need to bail the boat before we can set off again._
11. To set free, release, or deliver someone from confinement or constraint.
   - Simple: To set a person free or let them go.
   - _The decree empowered the governor to bail any prisoner he saw fit._
   - _She prayed that someone would come to bail the captives._
12. To release an arrested person from custody under the guarantee that they will appear for trial.
   - Simple: To let an arrested person go free after bail is promised or paid.
   - _The magistrate decided to bail the defendant pending further inquiries._
   - _He was bailed by the court after his lawyer's argument._
14. To hand over personal property to another person to be held temporarily under a bailment.
   - Simple: To give something you own to someone else to hold and keep safe for a while.
   - _The merchant chose to bail his goods to a trusted agent during the voyage._
   - _Farmers often bail equipment to neighbors when storage runs short._
20. To detain a traveler in order to rob them, to corner a wild animal, or more loosely to hold someone up. *(Australia, New Zealand)*
   - Simple: To stop and hold someone so you can rob them, or to trap a wild animal.
   - _The bushrangers would bail any coach that passed through the gorge._
   - _Their dogs bailed the boar against a fallen log until help came._
21. To secure a cow by placing its head in a bail so that it can be milked. *(Australia, New Zealand)*
   - Simple: To hold a cow still by putting its head through a frame so it can be milked.
   - _Dairy workers bail the cows one by one each morning._
   - _She bailed the restless heifer before attaching the cups._
22. To hold the head of a cow steady during milking.
   - Simple: To hold a cow's head still while it is being milked.
   - _Experienced hands can bail a cow's head in seconds._
   - _She bailed the restless cow's head before milking._

## Verb

24. To hold someone or something within a confined space. *(rare)*
   - Simple: To keep someone or something shut inside a place.
   - _Heavy fog bailed the ferries within the harbor until well past noon._
   - _Rangers ask campers to bail their fires within the stone rings._

## Noun

25. Custody or safekeeping of a person or thing. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The act of keeping or looking after someone or something.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 5–8, 10–12, 14, 23, 25** — From Middle English baille, from the Old French verb bailler ("to deliver or hand over") and noun bail ("lease"), going back to Latin bāiulāre ("to carry or bear") and baiulus ("porter; steward").
**Meanings 3–4** — From a shortening of "bail out," ultimately the same origin as the sense above.
**Meanings 9, 13, 15–19, 22** — From Middle English beyle, from Old English bīeġels, made from bīeġan combined with the suffix -els.
**Meanings 20–21, 24** — From French baillier.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bail (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).