Link Centre Dictionary

bail

UK/beːl/ US/beɪl/ common informal slang uk
noun (2) verb (5)

noun

1.

(criminal law) money that must be forfeited by the bondsman if an accused person fails to appear in court for trial

  • “the judge set bail at $10,000”
  • “a $10,000 bond was furnished by an alderman”
Synonyms
2.

the legal system that allows an accused person to be temporarily released from custody (usually on condition that a sum of money guarantees their appearance at trial)

  • “he is out on bail”

verb

1.

release after a security has been paid

2.
3.

secure the release of (someone) by providing security

4.

empty (a vessel) by bailing

5.

remove (water) from a vessel with a container

Origin

From Middle English baille, from the Old French verb bailler (“to deliver or hand over”) and noun bail (“lease”), from Latin bāiulāre (“carry or bear”), from baiulus (“porter; steward”) (English: bailiff).

Phrases

  • anticipatory bail
  • bail bandit
  • bail bond
  • bail bondsman
  • bail in
  • bail jumping
  • bail on
  • bail out
  • bail out on

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.