# bid

Pronunciation: say "BID" /bɪd/

## Noun

1. An offer to pay a certain price at an auction, or to carry out a piece of work.
   - Simple: An amount of money you offer to pay for something at a sale, or to do a job.
   - _The firm submitted a bid to renovate the city library._
   - _Bids on the antique clock quickly climbed past a thousand dollars._
2. An attempt, effort, or pursuit aimed at reaching a goal.
   - Simple: An attempt to reach or win something.
   - _The startup made an ambitious bid to dominate the market._
   - _Their bid to host the tournament gathered support from local sponsors._
9. A term of imprisonment; a prison sentence. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A length of time spent in prison.
   - _He caught a two-year bid for the robbery._
   - _Friends wrote to him throughout his long bid._
10. In ultimate frisbee, an attempt (often unsuccessful) to catch or intercept a thrown disc.
   - Simple: In ultimate frisbee, a dive or reach to catch or block a throw, usually one that misses.
   - _He laid out in a full-extension bid, but the disc hit the grass first._
   - _Her late bid on the disc in the end zone came up just short._

## Verb

3. To offer a particular price for something, as at an auction, or to state a price for doing a piece of work.
   - Simple: To say how much money you will pay for something, or how much you want for doing a job.
   - _Several collectors bid eagerly as the auctioneer raised the price._
   - _Contractors bid competitively whenever the city opens a new project._
4. To express a greeting or farewell to someone.
   - Simple: To say a greeting or goodbye to someone.
   - _The travelers bid their friends farewell at the station._
   - _Villagers bid the new arrivals a warm welcome._
5. To make an attempt at achieving something.
   - Simple: To try to reach or win something.
   - _Newcomers bid for leadership of the party every few years._
   - _Universities bid to attract the most promising researchers._
6. To issue a command to someone; to tell them to do something. *(literary)*
   - Simple: To tell or order someone to do something.
   - _He did as the doctor bid him and stayed in bed for a week._
   - _Tradition and duty bid us honor our elders._
8. In a card game, to announce the number of tricks or points one aims to win before play begins.
   - Simple: In card games, to say how many points or tricks you plan to win before play starts.
   - _In bridge, players bid in turn to describe their hands._
   - _He bid four hearts and went on to make the contract._

## Verb

7. To invite or summon someone. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To ask or call someone to come.
11. To proclaim or recite a prayer; to pray. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To say a prayer out loud.

## Other meanings

- (verb) In trucking, to regularly drive a particular assigned route.
- (noun) In trucking, the fixed route a driver regularly runs starting from their home base.

## Origin

**Meanings 4, 6–7, 11** — From Middle English bidden, from Old English biddan ("to ask, demand"), tracing back through Proto-Germanic *bidjaną ("to ask") to a Proto-Indo-European root. It became mixed up with Old English bēodan ("to offer, announce"), and it is related to Dutch bidden ("to pray") and German bitten.
**Meanings 1–3, 5, 8–10** — Old English bēodan ("to offer, announce") became Middle English beden. It traces to Proto-Germanic *beudaną ("to offer") and finally to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "be awake, aware." Over time it blended with Old English biddan ("to ask, demand"). Dutch bieden and German bieten are related.

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