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
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Verb
Galaxies, including ours, bathe in oceans of dark matter, which communicates with our world mainly through gravity. Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2025 Báthory, with Matthew David Wilder (Your Name Here) set to direct, is based on the story of Hungary’s Elizabeth Báthory, who found infamy after bathing in the blood of virgins. Sara Merican, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2025 Location The placement of a birdbath is important, because a bird that is bathing or that has just bathed and is preening is vulnerable to predators. Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2025 Most Americans view soap as essential to bathing as water. Matt Fuchs, TIME, 3 Mar. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bathe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bathe. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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

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