bathe

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbeɪð/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/beɪð/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bāᵺ)

Inflections of 'bathe' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
bathes
v 3rd person singular
bathing
v pres p
bathed
v past
bathed
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
bathe /beɪð/USA pronunciation   v., bathed, bath•ing, n. 
v. 
  1. to give a bath to;
    wash:[+ object]I carefully bathed the baby in warm water.
  2. to take a bath or sunbath:[no object]I shaved, bathed, and got dressed for the evening.
  3. [+ object] to apply water or other liquid to: The nurse bathed the wound.
  4. [+ object] to cover or surround: Sunlight was bathing the room. The runner was bathed in sweat.
  5. to swim for pleasure:[no object]They went bathing but the water was too cold.

n. [countable]
  1. British TermsBrit. an act of bathing;
    bath;
    swim.
bath•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
bathe  (bāᵺ),USA pronunciation v., bathed, bath•ing, n. 
v.t. 
  1. to immerse (all or part of the body) in water or some other liquid, for cleansing, refreshment, etc.
  2. to wet;
    wash.
  3. to moisten or suffuse with any liquid.
  4. to apply water or other liquid to, with a sponge, cloth, etc.:to bathe a wound.
  5. to wash over or against, as by the action of the sea, a river, etc.:incoming tides bathing the coral reef.
  6. to cover or surround:a shaft of sunlight bathing the room; a morning fog bathing the city.

v.i. 
  1. to take a bath or sunbath.
  2. to swim for pleasure.
  3. to be covered or surrounded as if with water.

n. 
  1. British Termsthe act of bathing, esp. in the sea, a lake, or a river;
    a swimming bath.
  • Middle English bath(i)en, Old English bathian, equivalent. to bæth bath1 + -ian infinitive suffix bef. 1000

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
bathe / beɪð/
  1. (intransitive) to swim or paddle in a body of open water or a river, esp for pleasure
  2. (transitive) to apply liquid to (skin, a wound, etc) in order to cleanse or soothe
  3. to immerse or be immersed in a liquid
  4. to wash in a bath
  5. (tr; often passive) to suffuse
  1. a swim or paddle in a body of open water or a river
Etymology: Old English bathian; related to Old Norse batha, Old High German badōnˈbather
'bathe' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: bathe your [child, dog], bathe in [dirty, fresh, hot, cold] water, bathe in the [tub, river, lake] , more...

Forum discussions with the word(s) "bathe" in the title:


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