Adjacent Words

Bidding definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BID'DING, ppr. Inviting; offering; commanding.
BID'DING, n. Invitation; command; order; a proclamation or notifying.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an authoritative direction or instruction to do something [syn: command, bid, bidding, dictation]
2: a request to be present; "they came at his bidding" [syn: bidding, summons]
3: (bridge) the number of tricks a bridge player is willing to contract to make [syn: bid, bidding]

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the offers at an auction. 2 Cards the act of making a bid or bids. 3 a command, request, or invitation. Phrases and idioms: bidding-prayer one inviting the congregation to join in.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bid Bid (b[i^]d), v. t. [imp. Bade (b[a^]d), Bid, (Obs.) Bad; p. p. Bidden, Bid; p. pr. & vb. n. Bidding.] [OE. bidden, prop to ask, beg, AS. biddan; akin to OS. biddian, Icel. bi[eth]ja, OHG. bittan, G. bitten, to pray, ask, request, and E. bead, also perh. to Gr. teiqein to persuade, L. fidere to trust, E. faith, and bide. But this word was early confused with OE. beden, beoden, AS. be['o]dan, to offer, command; akin to Icel. bj[=o][eth]a, Goth. biudan (in comp.), OHG. biotan to command, bid, G. bieten, D. bieden, to offer, also to Gr. pynqa`nesqai to learn by inquiry, Skr. budh to be awake, to heed, present OSlav. bud[=e]ti to be awake, E. bode, v. The word now has the form of OE. bidden to ask, but the meaning of OE. beden to command, except in ``to bid beads.'' [root]30.] 1. To make an offer of; to propose. Specifically : To offer to pay ( a certain price, as for a thing put up at auction), or to take (a certain price, as for work to be done under a contract). 2. To offer in words; to declare, as a wish, a greeting, a threat, or defiance, etc.; as, to bid one welcome; to bid good morning, farewell, etc. Neither bid him God speed. --2. John 10. He bids defiance to the gaping crowd. --Granrille. 3. To proclaim; to declare publicly; to make known. [Mostly obs.] ``Our banns thrice bid !'' --Gay. 4. To order; to direct; to enjoin; to command. That Power who bids the ocean ebb and flow. --Pope Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee. --Matt. xiv. 28 I was bid to pick up shells. --D. Jerrold. 5. To invite; to call in; to request to come. As many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. --Matt. xxii. 9 To bid beads, to pray with beads, as the Roman Catholics; to distinguish each bead by a prayer. [Obs.] To bid defiance to, to defy openly; to brave. To bid fair, to offer a good prospect; to make fair promise; to seem likely. Syn: To offer; proffer; tender; propose; order; command; direct; charge; enjoin.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bidding Bid"ding, n. 1. Command; order; a proclamation or notifying. ``Do thou thy master's bidding.'' --Shak. 2. The act or process of making bids; an offer; a proposal of a price, as at an auction.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If you do something at someone's bidding, you do it because they have asked you to do it. (FORMAL) At his bidding, the delegates rose and sang the national anthem. PHRASE 2. If you say that someone does another person's bidding, you disapprove of the fact that they do exactly what the other person asks them to do, even when they do not want to. (FORMAL) She is very clever at getting men to do her bidding! = obey PHRASE: V inflects [disapproval] 3. see also bid

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Command, order, direction, injunction, precept, behest, requisition, mandate, appointment. 2. Offer (of a price), bid, proposal.

Moby Thesaurus

beck, beck and call, behest, bid, biddance, call, calling, calling forth, charge, command, commandment, convocation, demand, dictate, dictation, direct order, direction, engraved invitation, evocation, hest, imperative, indent, injunction, instruction, invitation, invite, invocation, mandate, nod, order, pleasure, preconization, requisition, say-so, special order, summoning, summons, will, word, word of command