Word
bates
Phoneticsbates
US/ˈbeɪts/
UK/bˈeɪts/
Definition
v. to make something less strong or to hold it back.
v. to moderate, restrain, or reduce the force or intensity of something. This form is the third-person singular present indicative.
Examples
“We waited with bated breath for the results.”
“The crowd watched with bated breath as the acrobat walked across the high wire without a safety net.”
Examples
simple
“We waited with bated breath for the results.”
contextual
“The crowd watched with bated breath as the acrobat walked across the high wire without a safety net.”
Usage
In modern English, the base verb is rarely used outside of historical or highly literary contexts.
Teaching tip
Learners will almost never encounter 'bates' in speech; focus instead on the fixed expression 'with bated breath'.
Pitfall
He waited with baited breath.
He waited with bated breath.
Although 'bates' comes from 'abate' (to lessen), the common phrase uses the spelling 'bated', not 'baited' (like fish food).