noun
bailing
BAY-lihng
noun
1
The act of scooping water out of a boat, or more generally, removing something unwanted bit by bit.
"After the storm, the crew spent an hour bailing water from the flooded deck."
verb
1
Informal: leaving a situation abruptly, or backing out of a commitment.
"He ended up bailing on the trip at the last minute."
How to Use Bailing
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishScooping water out of something (like a boat) — or, informally, quitting or backing out of plans.
Common mistake
Not to be confused with "baling" (compressing hay or straw into bales) or posting bail for someone in custody, which uses the same spelling but a different sense of "bail".
Common pairings
bailing water
bailing out
bailing on plans
Word Forms
bailings plural
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After the storm, the crew spent an hour _____ water from the flooded deck.