Bid

Bid (bid) , transitive verb

[Old English bidden, prop to ask, beg, Anglo-Saxon biddan; akin to Old Saxon biddian, Icelandic bieja, Old High German bittan, German bitten, to pray, ask, request, and English bead, also perh. to Greek teiqein to persuade, Latin fidere to trust, English faith, and bide. But this word was early confused with Old English beden, beoden, Anglo-Saxon beódan, to offer, command; akin to Icelandic bjōea, Gothic biudan (in comp.), Old High German biotan to command, bid, German bieten, Dutch bieden, to offer, also to Greek pynqa`nesqai to learn by inquiry, Sanskrit budh to be awake, to heed, present OSlav. budēti to be awake, English bode, v. The word now has the form of Old English bidden to ask, but the meaning of Old English beden to command, except in “to bid beads.” r30.]

To make an offer of; to propose. Specifically: To offer to pay ( a certain price, as for a thing put up at auction), or to take (a certain price, as for work to be done under a contract).

To offer in words; to declare, as a wish, a greeting, a threat, or defiance, etc.; as, to bid one welcome; to bid good morning, farewell, etc.

Neither bid him God speed. — 2. John 10

He bids defiance to the gaping crowd. — Granrille

To proclaim; to declare publicly; to make known. [Mostly obsolete]

Our banns thrice bid! — Gay

To order; to direct; to enjoin; to command.

That Power who bids the ocean ebb and flow. — Pope

Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee. — Matt. xiv. 28

I was bid to pick up shells. — D. Jerrold

To invite; to call in; to request to come.

As many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. — Matt. xxii. 9

Collocations (3)

To bid beads , to pray with beads, as the Roman Catholics; to distinguish each bead by a prayer. [Obsolete]

To bid defiance to , to defy openly; to brave.

To bid fair , to offer a good prospect; to make fair promise; to seem likely.

Bid ({not transcribed}) , imperfect and past participle

imp. & past participle of Bid.

Bid , noun

An offer of a price, especially at auctions; a statement of a sum which one will give for something to be received, or will take for something to be done or furnished; that which is offered.

Bid , intransitive verb

[See Bid, transitive verb]

To pray. [Obsolete] — Chaucer

To make a bid; to state what one will pay or take.