The Meaning of Bid: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of bid? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word bid, including its definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word bid mean?

According to American Heritage and Collins English Dictionary, the word bid (vb./n.) can mean to attempt to obtain or do something. This word is frequently used at auctions. At an auction, a prospective buyer would offer to purchase something at a bid price. The seller of commerce would look at this offer of a specified amount and take the highest price. This might be at, above, or below market price, but it is the particular price people at the auction were willing to pay for the item.

The word bid is also used as a greeting. One can bid farewell or good night when on favourable terms, or bid defiance when angry or annoyed at someone. The rod bid can come in multiple tenses, including the present participle bidding, past tense bid or bade (pr: bæd), and past participle bid. The pronunciation of bid is ˈbɪd.

There are also numerous different languages that contain words that mean the same thing as the word bid. You may notice that some of these words look similar to the English word bid. This is because both of these words likely have a similar or the same origin. These are called cognates. Many languages that are Latin in origin have many cognates, or words that wound and mean similar things. This list of translations of bid is provided by Word Sense.

  •  Bokmål: bud‎ (neut.)
  •  Nynorsk: bud‎ (neut.)
  •  Persian: دو زن داری‎
  •  Bulgarian: оферта‎ (fem.)
  •  Spanish: licitación‎ (fem.)
  •  French: enchère‎ (fem.)
  •  Portuguese: licitação‎ (fem.), lance‎ (masc.)
  •  Finnish: tarjous‎
  •  Occitan: ofèrta‎
  •  Armenian: գնի առաջարկ‎, հայտ‎
  •  Maori: piti‎
  •  Thai: ประมูล‎ (bpràmoon)
  •  Greek: προσφορά‎ (fem.)
  •  Vietnamese: đặt giá‎, trả giá‎
  •  Japanese: 付け値‎ (つけね, tsukene)
  •  Russian: предлага́емая цена́‎ (fem.), зая́вка‎ (fem.), ста́вка‎ (fem.)
  •  Dutch: bod‎ (neut.)
  •  German: Gebot‎ (neut.)
  •  Italian: offerta‎ (fem.)
  •  Tagalog: tampa‎
  •  Danish: bud‎
  •  Serbo-Croatian: ponuda‎ (fem.)
  •  Polish: oferta‎ (fem.)
  •  Arabic: عَرْض‎ (masc.), عَطَاء‎ (masc.)
  •  Mandarin: 出價‎, 出价‎ (chūjià)
  •  Swedish: bud‎
  •  Slovene: ponúdba‎ (fem.)

What are synonyms and antonyms of bid?

There are many different words that one can use in place of the word bid that have a similar or the same meaning. These words and phrases are known as synonyms. Synonyms are a very useful English grammatical device to know because they can help people avoid repeating themselves while also growing their vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word bid is provided by Power Thesaurus

  •  command
  •  propose
  •  make a bid
  •  beseech
  •  enjoin
  •  summon
  •  beckon
  •  supplication
  •  call upon
  •  requisition
  •  entreaty
  •  invite
  •  effort
  •  exhort
  •  demand
  •  essay
  •  proffer
  •  summons
  •  ask
  •  solicitation
  •  appeal
  •  invitation
  •  overture
  •  order
  •  proposal
  •  tender
  •  request
  •  adjure
  •  tell
  •  wish
  •  submission
  •  offer
  •  proposition
  •  dictation
  •  quotation
  •  advance
  •  direct
  •  call
  •  instruct
  •  bid price
  •  bidding
  •  entreat
  •  prayer
  •  call in
  •  current price
  •  charge
  •  try
  •  invocation
  •  attempt
  •  require

There are also numerous different words that have the opposite meaning of the word bid. These opposite words are known as antonyms. Antonyms are also very useful to know to expand a person’s vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word bid is also provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  demotivate
  •  advise against
  •  circumvent
  •  demoralise
  •  baulk
  •  ask price
  •  damp
  •  avert
  •  dehort
  •  control
  •  disrecommend
  •  debar
  •  disadvise
  •  deter
  •  forbid
  •  bypass
  •  counteract
  •  dash
  •  demoralize
  •  abash
  •  act like a wet blanket
  •  block
  •  avoid
  •  demur at
  •  disfavor
  •  decline
  •  criticize
  •  reject
  •  discourage
  •  arrest
  •  caution
  •  crush
  •  balk
  •  check
  •  daunt
  •  disapprove
  •  deject
  •  deprecate
  •  prohibit
  •  deport
  •  deny
  •  cool
  •  derail
  •  command
  •  caution against
  •  disdain
  •  decrease
  •  dampen
  •  balk at
  •  curb

What is the origin of the word bid?

According to Etymonline, the word bid has been used since the Old English biddan, Old English bēodan, and Middle English beden. This word comes from the Latin bis and has cognates in the Old Frisian bidda, Old Saxon biddian, Old High German bittan, German bitten, Old Norse bithja, Gothic bidjan, German bieten. These likely stem from the  Proto-Indo-European root gwhedh.

How can the word bid be used in a sentence?

The word bid can be used in many different ways in various sentences. Using words in a sentence is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try to make flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge of the definitions of different English language words. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today! Below are a few examples of bid to get you started. 

When the bridge player’s turn was up, she bid high. She knew with her hand she could win a specified number of points that amounted to a high value. During the show of hands, she pulled in over a thousand dollars.

The prophet bid a tender blessing and benediction to the good persons of the congregation. He wished well upon them all. 

The stock exchange trader regretted bidding the value of their own property, as the market maker tanked and forced them to foreclose on their home.

During the campaign bid, the candidate got the attention of the poor population by offering membership to help them out in times of need, and give them access to resources to improve their living situations. 

After their nearly twelve hour long date, the women never wished to bid one another farewell. They were absolutely smitten with one another, and could barely focus during the following week.

Overall, the word bid (beɪd) has multiple different meanings. Generally, to bid on something means to attempt to obtain or do something, such as at an auction or on an online marketplace. This word can also mean to wish someone something, such as bidding someone farewell or goodnight. This is often used as a greeting.

Sources:

  1. Bid definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
  2. bid: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  3. Bid synonyms – 1 160 Words and Phrases for Bid | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Bid antonyms – 243 Opposites of Bid | Power Thesaurus