bathe

1 of 2

verb

bathed; bathing

transitive verb

1
2
: to wash in a liquid (such as water)
3
: to apply water or a liquid medicament to
4
: to flow along the edge of : lave
5
: to suffuse with or as if with light

intransitive verb

1
: to take a bath
2
: to go swimming
3
: to become immersed or absorbed
bather noun

bathe

2 of 2

noun

1
2
British : swim, dip

Examples of bathe in a Sentence

Verb the cool waters of the North Atlantic bathe the island's shores bathe your contact lens with the solution before inserting them Noun We went for a bathe in the sea.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
From Bill Plaschke: The silent, somber Bronx suddenly was bathed in joyous dancing blue, a screaming scrum leaping and bouncing and hugging into history. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024 Rat bites were a hazard, as were infections from bathing in seawater polluted by garbage and human waste. Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 More than 58,000 fans follow an Instagram account that shares snapshots of 399’s life — ambling through the grass with her babies, bathing with them, emerging from hibernation with snow speckled on her snout. Leslie Katz, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 The distance between them is also highlighted in the show's lighting, designed by Isabella Byrd, which bathes Romeo in soft blue colors and Juliet a gentle pink. EW.com, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bathe 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English bathian; akin to Old English bæth bath

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1747, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bathe was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bathe

Cite this Entry

“Bathe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bathe. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bathe

verb
ˈbāt͟h
bathed; bathing
1
: to take a bath
2
: to go swimming
3
: to give a bath to
bathe the baby
4
: to apply a liquid to
bathe the eyes
5
: to cover with or as if with a liquid
a scene bathed in moonlight
bather
ˈbā-t͟hər
noun

Medical Definition

bathe

1 of 2 verb
bathed; bathing

transitive verb

1
: to wash in a liquid (as water)
2
: to apply water or a liquid medicament to
bathe the eye with warm water

intransitive verb

: to take a bath

bathe

2 of 2 noun
British
: the act or action of bathing : bath

More from Merriam-Webster on bathe

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!