bail (bails plural & 3rd person present) (bailing present participle) (bailed past tense & past participle )
The spelling bale is also used for meaning 4, and for meanings 1 and 3 of the phrasal verb.
1 n-uncount Bail is a sum of money that an arrested person or someone else puts forward as a guarantee that the arrested person will attend their trial in a law court. If the arrested person does not attend it, the money will be lost.
oft on N
He was freed on bail pending an appeal..., The high court set bail at $8,000.
2 n-uncount Bail is permission for an arrested person to be released after bail has been paid.
He was yesterday given bail by South Yorkshire magistrates.
3 verb If someone is bailed, they are released while they are waiting for their trial, after paying an amount of money to the court.
usu passive
He was bailed for probation reports... be V-ed
He was bailed to appear before local magistrates on 5 November. be V-ed to-inf
4 verb If you bail, you use a container to remove water from a boat or from a place which is flooded.
We kept her afloat for a couple of hours by bailing frantically. V, Also V n
Bail out means the same as bail., phrasal verb
A crew was sent down the shaft to close it off and bail out all the water... V P n (not pron)
The flood waters have receded since then, but residents are still bailing out. V P
5 If a prisoner jumps bail, he or she does not come back for his or her trial after being released on bail.
jump bail phrase V inflects
He had jumped bail last year while being tried on drug charges. bail out
1 phrasal verb If you bail someone out, you help them out of a difficult situation, often by giving them money.
They will discuss how to bail the economy out of its slump... V n P of n, Also V n P
2 phrasal verb If you bail someone out, you pay bail on their behalf.
He has been jailed eight times. Each time, friends bailed him out. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
3 phrasal verb If a pilot bails outof an aircraft that is crashing, he or she jumps from it, using a parachute to land safely.
Reid was forced to bail out of the crippled aircraft... V P of n
The pilot bailed out safely. V P
