bailout

1 of 2

noun

bail·​out ˈbāl-ˌau̇t How to pronounce bailout (audio)
: a rescue from financial distress

bail out

2 of 2

verb

bailed out; bailing out; bails out

intransitive verb

1
: to parachute from an aircraft
2
: to abandon a harmful or difficult situation
also : leave, depart

Examples of bailout in a Sentence

Noun government bailouts of large corporations Verb if the meeting seems like it will never end, find an excuse to bail out the government bailed out the savings and loan industry
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Congress passed the historic bank bailout during her first semester. Megan Greenwell, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025 Many people now working in senior positions in U.K. financial services were still at school or college at the time of the bailout, but institutional memory of the event remains exceptionally strong, not least among U.K. regulators. Ian King, CNBC, 4 June 2025
Verb
They were bailed out, delisted from the NYSE on July 7, 2010, placed under FHFA’s conservatorship, and began trading on OTC markets the next day. Ann Rutledge, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025 Officers pursued the suspect, who bailed out of the car before police arrested him. Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for bailout

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1939, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bailout was in 1925

Browse Nearby Words

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bailout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bailout. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

bail out

verb
1
: to jump out of an airplane with a parachute
2
: to help from a difficult situation

Legal Definition

bailout

noun
bail·​out ˈbāl-ˌau̇t How to pronounce bailout (audio)
: a rescue from financial distress

More from Merriam-Webster on bailout

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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