bail
word
/ˈbeɪɫ/
bayl
/bˈeɪl/
bayl
Definition
As a noun, bail is money paid so someone can leave jail until their court date. As a verb, it can mean to remove water from a boat or container, or informally to leave a situation suddenly.
Usage & Nuances
The legal noun is common in news and crime contexts: 'set bail', 'post bail', 'out on bail'. The informal verb is very common in speech: 'bail on someone' means not show up or quit unexpectedly. Do not confuse it with 'bale'.
Spanish: fianza - achicar (agua) - irse de repente (informal)Portuguese (BR): fiança - tirar água de (barco) - sair de repente (informal)Portuguese (PT): fiança - tirar água de (barco) - sair de repente (informal)Chinese (Simplified): 保释金 - 舀出（水）- 临时退出（非正式）Chinese (Traditional): 保釋金 - 舀出（水）- 臨時退出（非正式）Hindi: ज़मानत राशि - पानी निकालना - अचानक चले जाना (अनौपचारिक)Arabic: كفالة مالية - يغرف الماء للخارج - ينسحب فجأة (عامية)Bengali: জামিন - পানি ফেলা (নৌকা, পাত্র থেকে) - পালিয়ে যাওয়াRussian: залог - вычерпывать (воду) - смыться (разг.)Japanese: 保釈金 - 水を汲み出す - 途中で抜ける（スラング）Vietnamese: tiền bảo lãnh - tát nước (ra khỏi thuyền) - bỏ đi (lóng)Korean: 보석금 - 물을 퍼내다 - 도망가다 (비격식)Turkish: kefalet - (su) boşaltmak - kaçmak (argo)Urdu: ضمانت - پانی نکالنا - اچانک چھوڑ دینا (غیر رسمی)Indonesian: uang jaminan - menguras air - kabur (informal)
Example Sentences
We had to bail water out of the boat.
basic
He decided to bail on the meeting.
basic
The judge set bail at ten thousand dollars.
basic
She couldn't pay bail, so she stayed in jail overnight.
natural
Don't bail on me now—we're almost done.
natural
I was going to come, but I had to bail at the last minute.
natural