bail

1. (law) To release a person under such guarantee.

2. (law) To hand over personal property to be held temporarily by another as a bailment.Examples: "to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier"

3. (nautical, transitive, intransitive) To remove (water) from a boat by scooping it out.Examples: "to bail water out of a boat"; "we had hard work to reach our haven, having to bail out the water with my straw hat."; "‘Bail out! bail out!’ yelled Job, ‘or we shall founder.’ I seized a large tin bowl with a handle to it, which was fixed under one of the seats, and the three of us bailed away for dear life."intransitivetransitive

4. (nautical, transitive) To remove water from (a boat) by scooping it out.Examples: "to bail a boat"; "By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out."transitive

1. (intransitive, slang) To leave or exit abruptly.Examples: "With his engine in flames, the pilot had no choice but to bail."; "The Teacher Home Visit Program takes a huge commitment—time, energy, patience, diplomacy. Quite a few schools […] have tried it and bailed."intransitiveslang

2. (intransitive, informal) To fail to meet a commitment (to a person). [with on ‘someone’]Examples: ""No one bails on Bennie Milagros. No one, comprende? I'm gonna hold you to that midnight run — ""; "And I ain't got no help. Goddamn Fitch bails on me, scrambles over to Finance."; "A guy who bails on his young wife and son the way he did. Leaving us to fend for ourselves."informalintransitive

1. (chiefly Australia and New Zealand) A frame to restrain a cow during milking or feeding.Examples: "But until he had poured enough milk into the vat above the separator, I drove unmilked cows into the bail where he had previously milked and released one. He moved from one bail to the other to milk the next one I had readied. I drove each cow into the empty bail, chained her in, roped the outer hind leg then washed and massaged the udder and teats."AustraliaNew-Zealand

2. (cricket) One of the two wooden crosspieces that rest on top of the stumps to form a wicket.Examples: "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."

3. (furniture) Normally curved handle suspended between sockets as a drawer pull. This may also be on a kettle or pail.

1. (rare) To confine.rare

2. (Australia, New Zealand) To secure (a cow) by placing its head in a bail for milking.AustraliaNew-Zealand

3. (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.Examples: "The transition over the rooftop would have been quicker if Sellers had not been bailed up by a particularly hostile spiritual presence speaking Swedish."; "While celebrating our “graduation”, a handsome Scot bailed me up outside a pub and insisted I help him solve the cryptic crossword."AustraliaNew-Zealandusuallywith-up