bail

1.nounB2

Definition

money handed over to a court so that a person waiting for a criminal trial can leave jail; the court keeps the money if the person fails to come back for the trial.

Example

The judge set bail at fifty thousand dollars after hearing the lawyers' arguments.

set bail at + amount

Mei was released on bail until her trial begins next March.

released on bail (passive)

Common collocations

set bail
post bail
grant bail
deny bail
released on bail
bail hearing

Synonyms

bond
American English; often used interchangeably with bail in court contexts
surety
more formal legal term for the money or person guaranteeing release

Antonyms

custody
being held in jail rather than released before trial

Grammar Patterns

on bail

post bail

grant/refuse bail

Usage Note

Always uncountable. Subject of verbs like 'grant', 'refuse', 'set', and 'post' is usually a court or judge; the accused person is the object of the preposition 'for' (bail for him).

Common Mistakes

He paid a bail of $5,000.

He paid bail of $5,000.

bail is uncountable, so no 'a' or plural form.

She is in bail until the trial.

She is on bail until the trial.

the fixed preposition is 'on', not 'in'.

2.nounC2

Definition

in cricket, one of two short wooden rods that rest across the tops of the three vertical sticks behind the batter; if the ball knocks them off, the batter is out.

Example

The fast bowler hit the stumps and both bails flew into the air.

plural form 'bails'

Ravi cheered loudly when the bails finally fell off in the last over.

the bails fell off

Common collocations

knock the bails off
the bails fell
remove the bails

Grammar Patterns

the bails (plural, usually with 'the')

Usage Note

Almost always plural ('the bails'), since stumps carry two bails together. Used only in cricket contexts; British and Commonwealth English.

Idioms

jump/skip bail

idiom

To not go to court after paying money to be released before the trial.

Maya jumped bail and left the country last night.

If you skip bail, the court will keep your money.

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1

Definition

to use a bucket, can, or similar container to scoop water out of a small boat that is leaking or has taken on rain.

Example

The two fishermen bailed for an hour after a wave filled their wooden boat.

intransitive use

Olu used an old plastic cup to bail water from the bottom of the canoe.

bail water from + place

Common collocations

bail water
bail out a boat
bail furiously

Synonyms

scoop
more general; bail is specific to removing water from a boat
empty
broader; bail emphasises the repeated scooping action

Grammar Patterns

bail water (out of something)

bail (a boat) out

Usage Note

Often paired with 'out' as a separable phrasal verb ('bail the water out'). Subject is usually a person on a small boat; the noun object is water (or sometimes the boat itself, meaning to empty it).

Common Mistakes

They bailed the water with a bowl from the boat.

They bailed the water out of the boat with a bowl.

the water comes out of a place, so use 'out of'.

2.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

(usually passive) to set an accused person free from jail before their criminal trial in return for money that the court holds as a guarantee they will return.

Example

The two protesters were bailed by a local lawyer late on Saturday night.

passive: be bailed by + person

Diego was bailed to appear at the magistrates' court on the first of June.

passive + to-infinitive

Common collocations

be bailed by
bailed to appear
agreed to bail

Synonyms

release
broader; bail specifically involves money as a guarantee

Antonyms

detain
to keep someone in jail rather than release them
remand
send back to custody until the next hearing

Grammar Patterns

bail somebody

be bailed (until)

bail somebody to + infinitive

Usage Note

Far more often passive than active. Distinguish from sense 1 (REMOVE WATER), which never takes a person as object. The agent that does the bailing is typically a court, judge, or police officer.

Common Mistakes

They bailed him out the prison.

They bailed him out of prison.

release contexts use 'out of', not 'out the'.

3.verbintransitiveC1

Definition

to give up on an activity, plan, or person before things are finished, often suddenly and in a way that disappoints others.

Example

Two of my friends bailed an hour before the camping trip and left me with all the gear.

informal: bail before + event

Mei bailed on the group project the night before it was due.

bail on + activity

Common collocations

bail on a friend
bail on a plan
bail at the last minute
bail halfway through

Synonyms

quit
neutral; bail is more informal and often implies letting others down
back out
withdrawing from a commitment, similar but slightly more formal

Antonyms

stick around
informal; stay until something finishes
commit
stay engaged with a plan or person

Grammar Patterns

bail (on something/somebody)

Usage Note

Informal register, mostly American English in origin but now widely used. Often followed by 'on' + person or activity. Carries a slightly negative tone of letting someone down.

Common Mistakes

He bailed from the party early.

He bailed on the party early.

the standard preposition is 'on', not 'from'.

Phrasal verbs

bail out

phrasal verb

to give someone, especially a company or friend, money or other help so they can escape a serious problem.

The government bailed out three large banks during the financial crisis of 2008.

Imani's older brother bailed her out when she lost her wallet on the school trip.

bail out (of)

phrasal verb

to jump out of an aircraft using a parachute, usually because the aircraft is going to crash.

The pilot bailed out of the burning plane just seconds before it hit the forest.

Idioms

jump bail

idiom

to deliberately flee and go into hiding to avoid your criminal trial, often by leaving the city or country, after the court has released you in return for money.

The suspect jumped bail and was caught two months later at a small airport in Mexico.

skip bail

idiom

to fail to turn up at your court hearing after being released, which automatically causes the money paid to the court to be forfeited as a penalty.

If Daniel skips bail, his parents will lose the house they used as a guarantee.

Word family

bailable
adjectiveC2
bailout
nounC1
bailer
nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words concern the conditions under which an accused person can leave jail before trial, but they sit at different points along the formal-legal scale. 'Bail' is the everyday learner term: money the court holds until the accused returns. 'Bond' is common in American English and often refers to the formal written promise plus the money — a bail bondsman supplies the bond when the accused cannot pay. 'Surety' is more formal and can mean either the guarantee itself or the person who promises to pay if the accused disappears. 'Recognizance' is the most technical: a written promise to appear in court, often without money changing hands ('released on his own recognizance'). For example, 'Mei was released on bail' is neutral; 'his uncle stood surety for him' sounds legal; 'released on recognizance' appears mainly in court documents.

bail ↗bond ↗surety ↗recognizance

Common collocations

Nouns

bail hearing
bail money
bail conditions
bail application

Adverbs

furiously (bail furiously)
frantically
halfway through (bail halfway through)

Phrases

released on bail
out on bail
post bail
set bail at
grant/refuse bail
skip bail
jump bail

Prepositions

on (on bail / bail on someone)
out of (bail water out of a boat)
for (post bail for someone)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The English word 'bail' brings together three historically separate roots that happen to share the same modern spelling. The legal sense, recorded from the 15th century, comes through Old French 'baillier' meaning 'to take charge of' or 'hand over', from Latin 'bajulare' (to carry a load). The cricket sense traces to an older French word 'bail' meaning a small wooden bar or barrier. The sense of scooping water out of a boat comes from a Middle French word 'baille', meaning a bucket, from Late Latin 'bajula' (a water carrier). The informal verb meaning 'quit suddenly' developed in 20th-century American slang, possibly from the parachute idea of 'bailing out' of a plane.

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bail

bail — noun

1. money handed over to a court so that a person waiting for a criminal trial can l

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. in cricket, one of two short wooden rods that rest across the tops of the three

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

jump/skip bail

bail — verb

1. to use a bucket, can, or similar container to scoop water out of a small boat th

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. (usually passive) to set an accused person free from jail before their criminal

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

3. to give up on an activity, plan, or person before things are finished, often sud

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

bail out

bail out (of)

jump bail

skip bail

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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