Meanings
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1
verb
To offer to pay a particular price for something, especially at an auction.
She bid two hundred dollars for the painting.
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2
noun
An offer of a particular amount of money to buy something.
His bid for the antique clock was the highest.
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3
verb
To make a serious effort to win or achieve something.
The city is bidding to host the next Olympic Games.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English bidden, from Old English biddan (“to ask, demand”), from Proto-West Germanic *biddjan, from Proto-Germanic *bidjaną (“to ask”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰedʰ-. Conflated with Old English bēodan (“to offer, announce”) (see Etymology 2 below). Compare West Frisian bidde, Low German bidden, Dutch bidden ("to pray"), German bitten, Danish bede, Norwegian Bokmål be.