bide
Americanverb (used with object)
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Archaic. to endure; bear.
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Obsolete. to encounter.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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archaic (intr) to continue in a certain place or state; stay
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archaic (intr) to live; dwell
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archaic (tr) to tolerate; endure
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to stay a little
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to abide by
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to wait patiently for an opportunity
Other Word Forms
- bider noun
Etymology
Origin of bide
before 900; Middle English biden, Old English bīdan; cognate with Old Frisian bīdia, Old Saxon bīdan, Old High German bītan, Old Norse bītha, Gothic beidan, Latin fīdere, Greek peíthesthai to trust, rely < Indo-European *bheidh-; the meaning apparently developed: have trust > endure > wait > abide > remain
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.
I sensed he was looking through me and not at me, as if he had decided I wasn’t his type and was biding his time until the bell rang.
From Los Angeles Times
But, still, it was like a silent companion, just biding its time until it could speak to me, until we could speak to each other.
From Literature
Most private tech companies—many that have spent years biding their time—will be forced to keep waiting it out.
Skaters bide their time in a peloton—before trying to break away from the bunch with a decisive burst.
Jonah couldn’t tell if they were still dazed, or if they were faking it, biding their time.
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.
