bathe

[ beyth ]
See synonyms for: bathebathedbathing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),bathed, bath·ing.
  1. to immerse (all or part of the body) in water or some other liquid, for cleansing, refreshment, etc.

  2. to wet; wash.

  1. to moisten or suffuse with any liquid.

  2. to apply water or other liquid to, with a sponge, cloth, etc.: to bathe a wound.

  3. to wash over or against, as by the action of the sea, a river, etc.: incoming tides bathing the coral reef.

  4. to cover or surround: a shaft of sunlight bathing the room; a morning fog bathing the city.

verb (used without object),bathed, bath·ing.
  1. to take a bath or sunbath.

  2. to swim for pleasure.

  1. to be covered or surrounded as if with water.

noun
  1. British.

    • the act of bathing, especially in the sea, a lake, or a river.

Origin of bathe

1
before 1000; Middle English bath(i)en,Old English bathian, equivalent to bæthbath1 + -ian infinitive suffix

Other words from bathe

  • re·bathe, verb, re·bathed, re·bath·ing.

Words that may be confused with bathe

Words Nearby bathe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bathe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bathe

bathe

/ (beɪð) /


verb
  1. (intr) to swim or paddle in a body of open water or a river, esp for pleasure

  2. (tr) to apply liquid to (skin, a wound, etc) in order to cleanse or soothe

  1. to immerse or be immersed in a liquid: to bathe machine parts in oil

  2. mainly US and Canadian to wash in a bath

  3. (tr; often passive) to suffuse: her face was bathed with radiance

  4. (tr) (of water, the sea, etc) to lap; wash: waves bathed the shore

noun
  1. British a swim or paddle in a body of open water or a river

Origin of bathe

1
Old English bathian; related to Old Norse batha, Old High German badōn

Derived forms of bathe

  • bather, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012