at bay

Idioms  

1. Cornered, in distress, as in Angry bystanders chased the thief into an alley and held him at bay until the police arrived. This idiom originally came from hunting, where it describes an animal that has been driven back and now faces pursuing hounds. Its use for other situations dates from the late 1500s.

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Example Sentences

Some observers yelled at staffers and got in the face of Cathy Darling Allen, the longtime registrar, who installed a 7-foot metal fence to keep them at bay.

From Los Angeles Times

Dr. Anthony Letai, who became NCI director in September, said he wants to finance larger trials of vaccines that in smaller studies have shown potential to keep aggressive cancers at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is also a constant attempt to stay in control - and keep any threats or challenges at bay.

From BBC

“A drone a day keeps Gulf stability at bay,” said Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London.

From The Wall Street Journal

The difference now is that Arsenal is just about keeping the disasters at bay.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• captured
• cornered