Synonyms

bide

American

[bahyd] / baɪd /

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to endure; bear.
Obsolete. to encounter.

verb (used without object)

to dwell; abide; wait; remain.

Synonyms:

tarry, linger, stay

idioms

bide one's time, to wait for a favorable opportunity.

He wanted to ask for a raise, but bided his time.

bide British

/ baɪd /

verb

archaic (intr) to continue in a certain place or state; stay
archaic (intr) to live; dwell
archaic (tr) to tolerate; endure
to stay a little
to abide by
to wait patiently for an opportunity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

bider

noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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

Explanation

When you bide, you remain somewhere. You'd be wise to bide a while inside and wait for the rain to stop before you leave! The verb bide is extremely old-fashioned, but you may be familiar with it from expressions like "bide your time" and businesses named "Bide-a-Wee." It comes from the Old English bidan, "to stay, continue, or remain." When you bide your time, you wait until a good opportunity comes up: "I'll bide my time until I find the perfect rescue dog." As for "bide-a-wee," that's a Scottish phrase meaning "stay a while."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

This debt doesn’t necessarily mean you are “trapped,” but you may have to bide your time to make sure the door doesn’t hit you — hard — on the way out.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

There's a limit on how long Iran can bide its time, however.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

She said the lieutenant governor’s role is typically a sleepy perch for politicians as they bide their time to run for higher office.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

I have a novel suggestion: If you’re going to splurge on a ski trip, bide your time for the best season—spring.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

Theo will just work hard in The Hague and bide his time.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

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