at bay
idiom
: in the position of being unable to move closer while attacking or trying to approach someone
—used with keep or hold
The soldiers kept the attackers at bay.
—often used figurativelyThe doctors have been able to keep her illness at bay for several months.
Examples of at bay in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Human beings crash through nature, break it apart and leave it in ruins, just to make supper by 6 p.m.
Your only hope of keeping the agony of this realization at bay is to endeavor to be gentler and better in the tiny scope of things under your control.
—
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Place a few drops under your tongue or add oil to your favorite beverage to keep back pain at bay.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Every pitch was effective in keeping the Twins at bay.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Amazon is packed with cooling sheets from popular and customer-loved brands that are sure to keep the night sweats at bay.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
On the set of Game of Thrones, Turner had to regularly dye her hair to keep the blonde at bay.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024
To keep competition for resources at bay, stakeholders must shine a light on Beijing’s destabilizing activities.
—Elizabeth Buchanan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2024
Sticking to a healthy weight can keep hot flashes at bay, too, while helping build confidence and reducing stress.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
This nylon bag from Peak Gear is made with several sneaky, spacious pockets to safely store my essentials, while a handy RFID-blocking pocket is the ideal spot for my cards and ID to keep electronic theft at bay.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Place a few drops under your tongue or add oil to your favorite beverage to keep back pain at bay.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Every pitch was effective in keeping the Twins at bay.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Amazon is packed with cooling sheets from popular and customer-loved brands that are sure to keep the night sweats at bay.
—Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
On the set of Game of Thrones, Turner had to regularly dye her hair to keep the blonde at bay.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024
To keep competition for resources at bay, stakeholders must shine a light on Beijing’s destabilizing activities.
—Elizabeth Buchanan, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2024
Sticking to a healthy weight can keep hot flashes at bay, too, while helping build confidence and reducing stress.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
This nylon bag from Peak Gear is made with several sneaky, spacious pockets to safely store my essentials, while a handy RFID-blocking pocket is the ideal spot for my cards and ID to keep electronic theft at bay.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at bay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near at bay
Cite this Entry
“At bay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20bay. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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