bate

1 of 2

verb (1)

ˈbāt 

bated; bating

transitive verb

1

: to reduce the force or intensity of : restrain

waited with bated breath

2

: to take away : deduct

That grave and orderly senior was not going to bate a jot of his dignity …

—George Eliot

3

archaic : to lower especially in amount or estimation

And I shall have to bate my price …

—A. E. Housman

4

archaic : blunt

And now I have bated your curiosity …

—J. F. Cooper

intransitive verb

obsolete : diminish, decrease

The wind is bating.

bate

2 of 2

verb (2)

bated; bating

intransitive verb

of a falcon or hawk

: to attempt to fly off something (such as a gauntlet) in fear

Examples of bate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Every time her vocals seamlessly shifted from a keen voice, sharp as a blade, to a beautiful singing voice, the audience broke out in goose bumps, breath bated. —Billboard Japan, Billboard, 7 Aug. 2024

During that fleeting wait, bated breath and a thumping heartbeat are symptoms of a process that happens in the brain. —Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2024

These are the last big nominations actors can score prior to the Big O, so breath is bated and agents are standing by to comfort. —Vulture, 10 Jan. 2024

Others will have a day off work and maybe do something meaningful to honor Black people—but our breath is not bated. —Time, 19 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, short for abaten to abate

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Middle French batre to beat, from Latin battuere

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

bate

verb

ˈbāt

bated; bating

: to reduce the force or intensity of : restrain

listen with bated breath