bail

[beɪ̯l]

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A bail is money or property given to the court to promise someone will show up for their trial.

When someone gets arrested and charged with a crime, they often have the option to pay bail. This means they give some cash or put up something of value, like a house or car, as insurance that they'll come back for their court date. The idea is that if they skip town without showing up for court, the person who paid their bail loses everything they gave – so it's a pretty strong incentive to return.

How common is "bail"?

Word bail is considered uncommon in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.
The person providing such payment.
A bucket or scoop used for removing water from a boat etc.
A person who bails water out of a boat.
Custody; keeping.

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verb

To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail.
To release a person under such guarantee.
To hand over personal property to be held temporarily by another as a bailment.
Example: to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier
To remove (water) from a boat by scooping it out.
Example: to bail water out of a boat
To remove water from (a boat) by scooping it out.
Example: to bail a boat
To set free; to deliver; to release.

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Real examples of "bail" in context

Zootopia 2 | Final Trailer

Trailers

We check the perimeter, snoop a little, we find nothing, we bail.

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