bale out

Verb

bail out (third-person singular simple present bails out, present participle bailing out, simple past and past participle bailed out)

1. (transitive) To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail money.
2. (transitive) To remove water from a boat by scooping it out.
   • But it passed, leaving us up to our knees in water. 'Bail out! bail out!' shouted Job, suiting the action to the word.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC
3. (idiomatic, transitive) To rescue, especially financially.
   • Once again, the industry got itself in trouble and government had to bail it out.
4. (intransitive, usually, with-of) To exit an aircraft while in flight.
   • Make sure your parachute harness is securely fastened before you bail out!
5. (idiomatic, intransitive, slang) To leave (or not attend at all) a place or a situation, especially quickly or when the situation has become undesirable; to abandon (something).
   • I'm going to bail out of class today.
6. (idiomatic, intransitive, slang, with-on) To abandon (someone) when that person faces difficulties.
   • When I got arrested, she bailed out on me.

See all 10 meanings of bail out