bid 1 of 2

as in attempt
an effort to do or accomplish something a dramatic film that is widely regarded as the comedian's last-ditch bid to be taken seriously as an actor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

bid

2 of 2

verb

1
2
as in to invite
to request the presence or participation of as company president, I bid you all to come to our annual holiday party!

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb bid contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bid are charge, command, direct, enjoin, instruct, and order. While all these words mean "to issue orders," bid suggests giving orders peremptorily (as to children or servants).

she bade him be seated

How do charge and enjoin relate to one another, in the sense of bid?

Charge adds to enjoin an implication of imposing as a duty or responsibility.

charged by the President with a secret mission

How are the words command and order related as synonyms of bid?

Both command and order imply authority and usually some degree of formality and impersonality; command stresses official exercise of authority.

a general commanding troops

How does the word direct relate to its synonym instruct, in the sense of bid?

Direct and instruct both connote expectation of obedience and usually concern specific points of procedure or method, instruct sometimes implying greater explicitness or formality.

directed her assistant to hold all calls
the judge instructed the jury to ignore the remark

When can enjoin be used instead of bid?

While the synonyms enjoin and bid are close in meaning, enjoin implies giving an order or direction authoritatively and urgently and often with admonition or solicitude.

a sign enjoining patrons to be quiet

When might order be a better fit than bid?

The words order and bid can be used in similar contexts, but order may suggest peremptory or arbitrary exercise.

ordered his employees about like slaves

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bid
Noun
Todd Golden’s team is poised for a deep run after rising to the top of a conference with a record 14 bids to the Big Dance. Wesley Alden, Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2025 Chatsworth fell short in its bid to win the Division II title. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
The online auction platform operates by allowing registered users to bid on items through its website. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025 Other than bidding on an antique tea set or whatever was happening? Sean Rameswaram, Vox, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bid
Noun
  • In a renewed effort, the government issued Decree 30-25 on January 25, 2025, in another attempt to implement VAT obligations for non-resident digital service providers.
    Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Virgin Orbit staged an airborne launch attempt from an airport in the United Kingdom in 2023, and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome is located in European Russia.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The strikes conducted Saturday by the U.S. military against Ansar Allah targets marked the largest-scale operation ordered by Trump since beginning his second non-consecutive term in office in January.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025
  • They could be ordered through a catalog and were relatively affordable, said Anuja Navare, the director of collections at the Pasadena Museum of History, which maintains a private registry of homes with Batchelder tiles.
    Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Thanks to her parents' friendship with the then-CNN President Tom Johnson, Brown and her family were invited to attend Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta, where the Dallas Cowboys were taking on Blitzer’s beloved Buffalo Bills.
    Meredith Kile, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • His signature esthetic – sophisticated yet mischievous – transforms everyday objects into talking pieces that invite interaction and storytelling.
    Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The restart and the end of Larson’s triple try After winning Friday night’s Craftsman Truck Series Baptist Health 200, Larson started 17th Saturday.
    DAVID J. NEAL, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Yarden Garzon led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting (41.5 percent on almost seven tries per game), while fifth-year guard Sydney Parrish and Penn State transfer Shay Ciezki also looked confident from long distance.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Stewart said that part of the initiative is a social media campaign instructing individuals to post a picture of themselves wearing the T-shirt or hoodie on Monday paired with the hashtags #EveryoneIsWelcome, #InclusiveIdaho, or #WestAdaSchools.
    Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 22 Mar. 2025
  • While in custody, Yusuf was recorded in jailhouse calls instructing his brother and an associate to erase data from his phone to obstruct the investigation, prosecutors said.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Johnson-Roberson says for all the incredible skills displayed by chatbots, the task they're asked to do is relatively simple — look at what a human user types and then try to predict the next words that user wants to see.
    Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The photographer asked me to act sad and depressed, to stop smiling.
    Gaylyn Henderson, MPH, Health, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • People close to the situation have told The Times’ Jack Harris that Betts had the norovirus.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
  • National Border Patrol Council Vice President Hector Garza told Fox News Digital that these videos on TikTok and other social media outlets are nothing new, but feels that the Trump administration is taking the videos seriously and actively working to secure the border.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bid. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bid

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!