make bail

Idioms and Phrases

Put up security as an assurance that someone released from prison will appear for trial, as in He didn't think he could make bail for his brother . The use of bail for “security” was first recorded in 1495.

Example Sentences

For more than two years they have been kept in a county jail, unable to make bail.

From BBC

“Another Wasted Life” is inspired by Kalief Browder, a New York City teenager who spent two years in solitary confinement at Rikers Island — three years in jail total — when he couldn’t make bail on a charge of stealing a backpack.

From Seattle Times

He will make bail, so he won’t be in jail.

From Seattle Times

Bogner couldn’t make bail—initially set at $150,000—so he was locked up in the Los Angeles County jail for 60 days.

From Science Magazine

It’s not uncommon for defendants who can’t make bail to lose their jobs and even their homes while in jail awaiting trial.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• assure
• ensure
• insure
• maintain
• protect
• prove
• secure
• support