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Synonyms

at bay

Idioms  

  1. Cornered, in distress, as in Angry bystanders chased the thief into an alley and held him at bay until the police arrived. This idiom originally came from hunting, where it describes an animal that has been driven back and now faces pursuing hounds. Its use for other situations dates from the late 1500s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The difference now is that Arsenal is just about keeping the disasters at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal

Local officials say the best way to keep mosquitoes at bay is to get rid of any kind of standing water on your property where they can breed.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's not a cure, but because I got a good remission, that hopefully means that I'll keep the cancer at bay for a good long time."

From BBC

Her oldest sister knew how to manage their spirit angels and keep human devils at bay.

From Literature

She fumbled with her knitting and brought it close to her face, as if her work would keep her emotions at bay.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.