bid

present singular third person bids · participle present bidding · past bade · archaic past bad · participle past bade · archaic participle past bad · participle past bidden

1. transitiveTo issue a command; to tell.

   He bade me come in.

   1 more example

   Shylock: [...] Why Jessica, I say! Launcelot: Why, Jessica! Shylock: Who bids thee call? I do not bid thee call. Launcelot: Your worship was wont to tell me that I could do nothing without bidding.

   c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene v]

2. transitiveTo invite; to summon.

   She was bidden to the wedding.

   2 more examples

   Jessica: Call you? What is your will? Shylock: I am bid forth to supper, Jessica: / [...] But wherefore should I go? / I am not bid for love; they flatter me;

   c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene v]

   In his cloak of words strode the ringmaster, / Bid me join the parade

   1970, King Crimson, “Cirkus (including "Entry of the Chameleons")”, in Lizard

3. transitiveTo utter a greeting or salutation.

   Portia: If I could bid the fifth welcome with so good heart as I / can bid the other four farewell, I should be glad of his / approach; […]

   c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

   1 more example

   The last train—a three-coach A.E.C. unit—from Belfast to Crumlin and back, was bade farewell with fog signals as it carried a capacity crowd of last-trip travellers.

   1960 November, L. Hyland, “The Irish Scene”, in Trains Illustrated, page 691

4. obsoleteTo proclaim (a bede, prayer); to pray.

   All night she spent in bidding of her bedes, / And all the day in doing good and godly deedes.

   1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC

present singular third person bids · participle present bidding

1. intransitiveTo make an offer to pay or accept a certain price.

   Have you ever bid in an auction?

2. transitiveTo offer as a price; to tender.

   She bid £2000 for the Persian carpet.

3. intransitiveTo make an attempt.

   He was bidding for the chance to coach his team to victory once again.

4. ambitransitivecard gamesTo announce (one's goal), before starting play.
5. intransitivetransitivetruckingTo take a particular route regularly.

   I can’t believe he bid the Syracuse turn; that can be brutal in the winter!

plural bids

1. An offer at an auction, or to carry out a piece of work.

   His bid was $35,000.

   1 more example

   The company tendered a bid for a lucrative transport contract.

2. ultimate frisbeeA (failed) attempt to receive or intercept a pass.

   Nice bid!

3. An attempt, effort, or pursuit (of a goal).

   He put in his bid for office.

   4 more examples

   Their efforts represented a sincere bid for success.

   She put in her bid for the presidency.

   Then, as the Sunderland fans' cheers bellowed around the stadium, United's title bid was over when it became apparent City had pinched a last-gasp winner to seal their first title in 44 years.

   2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport

   [Running,] Doyle had passed up a dozen chances to go underground. He was swinging east again making another bid for Arcade.

   1967 May, William F. Nolan, George Clayton Johnson, Logan's Run, Bantam Books, published 1976, →ISBN, page 16

4. truckingA particular route that a driver regularly takes from their domicile.

   I can’t stand this new bid I’m on, even if the mileage is better.

5. slangA prison sentence.

   So we ‘lawyered up’. That’s how they say it in the bucket, son, where I did an eight-hour bid.

   2007, Psych (TV series)

   Synonyms: bit

1. not comparablemedicinetwice a day, two times per day

   It has been repeatedly documented that moving patients from a TID dosing regimen to BID or OD vastly improves compliance, and thus the medicine's effectiveness.

   2014 April, Ken. Seufert, “The New Dawn of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Innovative Solutions for Unprecedented Challenges”, in American Pharmaceutical Review

plural BIDs

1. abbreviationacronymAcronym of business improvement district.