- (v.t.) To dip or lade water from; -- often with out to express completeness; as, to bail a boat.
- (v.t.) To lade; to dip and throw; -- usually with out; as, to bail water out of a boat.
- (v./t.) To set free or deliver from arrest or out of custody, on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of the person bailed.
- (v./t.) To deliver; to release.
- (n.) The top or cross piece ( or either of the two cross pieces) of the wicket.
- (n.) The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it; the outer court.
- (n.) A division for the stalls of an open stable.
- (n.) A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier's wagon, awning of a boat, etc.
- (n.) The person or persons who procure the release of a prisoner from the custody of the officer or from imprisonment, by becoming surely for his appearance in court.
- (n.) The arched handle of a kettle, pail or similar vessel, usually movable.
- (n.) A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense.
- (n.) A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat.
- (n.) A certain limit within a forest.
- (n.) The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on bail; to go bail for any one.
- (n.) Custody; keeping.
- (v./t.) To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee or person intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). bail. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/bail/definitions/1977941 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "bail" http://smartdefine.org/bail/definitions/1977941 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, bail, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/bail/definitions/1977941>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "bail" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/bail/definitions/1977941> |