bailout

1 of 2

noun

bail·​out ˈbāl-ˌau̇t 

: a rescue from financial distress

bail out

2 of 2

verb

bailed out; bailing out; bails out

intransitive verb

1

: to parachute from an aircraft

2

: to abandon a harmful or difficult situation

also : leave, depart

Synonyms

Verb

• exit
• move
• depart
• get
• go
• peel off
• walk out
• pull out
• get off
• cut out
• run along
• dig out
• sally (forth)
• go off
• take a walk
• escape
• push off
• evacuate
• clear out
• bail
• pike (out or off)
• start

Examples of bailout in a Sentence

Noun

government bailouts of large corporations

Verb

if the meeting seems like it will never end, find an excuse to bail out

the government bailed out the savings and loan industry

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After years of slow growth, Islamabad hoped for an economic rebound in 2026 following an International Monetary Fund bailout. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025

In the 2010s, there were a number of government bailouts of sovereign nations and their banking systems, including in Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. —Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Verb

In 1998, hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management was bailed out after its highly leveraged bets on bond arbitrage went belly up after the Russian debt default. —Alex Pron, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Under the leadership of CEO James Daunt, the company has been using its unlikely second act to bail out struggling indies. —Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for bailout

• about
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout
• dugout

Kids Definition

bail out

verb

1

: to jump out of an airplane with a parachute

2

: to help from a difficult situation

Legal Definition

bailout

noun

bail·​out ˈbāl-ˌau̇t 

: a rescue from financial distress