# bail up

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bail-up
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to stop someone for a talk

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · Dialect · Informal

to stop someone and make them listen to you, often for a long time when they are busy.

For teachers: to detain someone in conversation, often against their will or at an inconvenient time; to buttonhole.

- I tried to leave the office, but my boss bailed me up to talk about the new project.
- He was bailed up in the corridor by a persistent colleague who insisted on discussing the minutiae of the budget for over twenty minutes.

Usage: Transitive; the object usually sits between 'bail' and 'up'.

### 2. to corner or trap

phrasal verb · CEFR C2 · Dialect

to trap a person or animal in a corner so they cannot escape.

For teachers: to corner or hold a person or animal at bay, often through the threat of force or by physical obstruction.

- The farm dogs managed to bail up the wild pig in the corner of the field.
- The suspect was bailed up in a narrow alleyway by the pursuing officers until backup arrived to secure the perimeter.

Usage: Transitive; often used in the context of hunting or policing.

### 3. to rob

phrasal verb · CEFR C2 · Dialect · Archaic

to stop and rob someone, especially in the countryside in the past.

For teachers: to commit a robbery by stopping a traveller or vehicle, particularly associated with historical bushranging.

- The bushrangers bailed up the stagecoach and took all the gold.
- Historical accounts describe how the outlaws would bail up unsuspecting travellers at gunpoint along the remote mountain passes.

Teaching tip: This sense is largely historical and refers to the era of bushrangers in 19th-century Australia.

## Examples

- He bailed me up in the hallway to talk about his weekend.
- I was trying to leave the office when the manager bailed me up to discuss the new budget.
- The senator was bailed up by a group of determined lobbyists just as he was attempting to enter the private chambers.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: explain the historical context of 'bushrangers' (outlaws) to help students remember the sense of being 'trapped' in a conversation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.