bid

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɪd/ See IPA manual

Freq #4144

Meanings

1

verb
To offer to pay a particular price for something, especially at an auction.

She bid two hundred dollars for the painting.
2

noun
An offer of a particular amount of money to buy something.

His bid for the antique clock was the highest.
3

verb
To make a serious effort to win or achieve something.

The city is bidding to host the next Olympic Games.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with bid

bid for Prepositional verb B2

to offer a price or compete in an attempt to obtain something

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to offer to pay a... offer tender

Word family

Forms badebiddenbidderbidsunbidden

Derived forms autobidbeadlebiddabilitybiddablebiddancebidworthycounterbidcuebidforbidmegabidmisbidoutbid

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

bid for
to offer a price or compete in an attempt to obtain something

Verb + preposition/particle

Simplified etymology

Bid is an Old English word first recorded in the sense “ask” or “beg.” It is related to bead, whose original meaning was “prayer.”

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.

*gʷʰedʰ- Proto-Indo-European bidden Middle English *biddjan Proto-West Germanic *bidjaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# bid

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /bɪd/
**Frequency rank:** 4144

## Meanings
1. To offer to pay a particular price for something, especially at an auction.
2. An offer of a particular amount of money to buy something.
3. To make a serious effort to win or achieve something.

## Examples
- She bid two hundred dollars for the painting.
- His bid for the antique clock was the highest.
- The city is bidding to host the next Olympic Games.

## Derived Forms
- autobid
- beadle
- biddability
- biddable
- biddance
- bidworthy
- counterbid
- cuebid
- forbid
- megabid
- misbid
- outbid

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *gʷʰedʰ-
- Root: bidden
- Root: *biddjan
- Root: *bidjaną

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Bid comes 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.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown

bid