a washing or immersion of something, especially the body, in water, steam, etc., as for cleansing or medical treatment.
I take a bath every day. Give the dog a bath.
a quantity of water or other liquid used for this purpose.
running a bath.
a container for water or other cleansing liquid, as a bathtub.
a room equipped for bathing; bathroom.
The house has two baths.
a building containing rooms or apartments with equipment for bathing; bathhouse.
Often baths one of the elaborate bathing establishments of the ancients.
the baths of Caracalla.
Usually baths a town or resort visited for medical treatment by bathing or the like; spa.
a preparation, as an acid solution, in which something is immersed.
the container for such a preparation.
a device for controlling the temperature of something by the use of a surrounding medium, as sand, water, oil, etc.
Metallurgy.
the depressed hearth of a steelmaking furnace.
the molten metal being made into steel in a steelmaking furnace.
the state of being covered by a liquid, as perspiration.
in a bath of sweat.
a city in Avon, in SW England: mineral springs.
a seaport in SW Maine.
a large container, esp one made of enamelled iron or plastic, used for washing or medically treating the body
the act or an instance of washing in such a container
the amount of liquid contained in a bath
to turn on the taps to fill a bath with water for bathing oneself
(usually plural) a place that provides baths or a swimming pool for public use
a vessel in which something is immersed to maintain it at a constant temperature, to process it photographically, electrolytically, etc, or to lubricate it
the liquid used in such a vessel
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun bath, beth, beath, Old English bæth; cognate with Old Frisian beth, Old Saxon, Old Norse bath, German Bad; from Germanic bátha-n “what is warmed,” from a root meaning “to warm”
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bath(us), batus, from Latin batus, from Greek bátos, from Hebrew bath
The action of soaking or washing yourself in water is a bath. You might take a bubble bath to relax before bed after a stressful day. Your soak in soapy water is a bath, and the tub in which you're lying is also a bath. Other containers of water are baths too, particularly in cooking: "If the custard's sitting in a hot water bath, it will cook more evenly." While the Old English root bæð means "immersing in water," it also means "immersing in mud." If an investor "takes a bath," it means, colloquially, that she loses a lot of money.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The bath towel was skimpy but the counters for drying your hair and getting ready were a nice touch.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
The sound bath and a chiming bell provide a resonant echo in which attendees visibly relax, most with their eyes closed.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
The federal court case focuses on an incident where MacInnes and Amanda Ghost, a producer of "The Deb", shared a bath in an apartment after swimming at Bondi Beach.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
Wilson says MacInnes told her the bath incident had made her feel "uncomfortable" but MacInnes denies she said this, and only described the situation as "weird" or "strange and bizarre".
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
Afterward, one is expected to complain that the sauna was too cold, the ice bath too warm, and the venik too soft, but this show of pluck is simply part of the experience.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
