bate

bate — verb

  • batepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • bates3rd person singular
  • bating-ing form
  • batedpast simple

1. to make something weaker, quieter, or less forceful — especially when talking ab

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to make something weaker, quieter, or less forceful — especially when talking about emotions, speed, or the strength of something

Example

Sirin sat quietly for a few minutes to **bate** her rising panic before the speech.

bate + emotion noun

The cool evening breeze did little to **bate** the intensity of Nadia's fever.

bate + intensity / force

Common collocations
  • bate one's anger
  • bate the force of something
  • bate intensity
  • bate panic
Synonyms
  • lessen

    the most general synonym; 'lessen' is neutral and far more common in everyday English

  • moderate

    implies bringing something to a reasonable or less extreme level

  • restrain

    emphasises holding back through deliberate effort or control

  • diminish

    suggests making something smaller or less important, often gradually

Antonyms
  • intensify

    to make something stronger or more extreme

  • increase

    to make something greater in amount, size, or degree

Grammar Patterns

bate + noun phrase

Usage Note

Most familiar to modern readers in the past-participle form 'bated' in the fixed expression 'with bated breath' (meaning in a state of anxious suspense). The verb 'bate' itself is now rare outside formal or literary writing.

Common Mistakes

She waited with bate breath.
She waited with bated breath.
'bated' is the adjective form; 'bate' is the verb, and the idiom uses the adjective.

2. to remove a portion of an amount that is owed or expected; to subtract from a to

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to remove a portion of an amount that is owed or expected; to subtract from a total sum

Example

The landlord **bated** sixty dollars from the security deposit to cover the damaged furniture.

bate + amount + from + total

The buyer inspected the shipment and demanded the supplier **bate** ten percent from the price.

Common collocations
  • bate from the price
  • bate from the total
  • bate a percentage
Synonyms
  • deduct

    the standard modern equivalent; 'deduct' is used routinely in finance, tax, and retail contexts

  • subtract

    common in mathematics and general usage for removing a quantity from a larger amount

  • take away

    the simplest everyday alternative, common in spoken English

Antonyms
  • add

    to put something more in

  • include

    to make something part of the total

Grammar Patterns

bate + amount + from + total

Usage Note

Now largely archaic in everyday English. Modern speakers and writers almost always use 'deduct' or 'take away' instead. Occasionally appears in formal legal or accounting documents.

3. (of a hawk, falcon, or other bird of prey) to try to escape by flying away, beat

3.verbintransitiveC2
Definition

(of a hawk, falcon, or other bird of prey) to try to escape by flying away, beating the wings wildly against the leash or perch out of fear or alarm

Example

The young peregrine **bated** desperately when a dog ran barking past its perch.

intransitive use: bird + bates

Tyler, an experienced falconer, waited calmly as the goshawk **bated** against its leather jesses.

Common collocations
  • bate wildly
  • bate desperately
  • bate against the leash
  • bate at something
Synonyms
  • flap

    general term for wing movement; lacks the specific meaning of a frightened attempt to escape

  • flutter

    suggests lighter, quicker wing movements without the same sense of frantic effort

Grammar Patterns

falcon / hawk + bates

Usage Note

A specialised term from falconry that is rarely encountered outside historical fiction, nature documentaries, or specialist writing about birds of prey. The noun form is 'bating'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe reducing something, but each has a distinct flavour. 'Lessen' is the most general term, suitable for any reduction in amount, degree, or intensity — you can lessen a risk, a pain, or a difference. 'Moderate' specifically means to make something less extreme or excessive, often by bringing it to a reasonable level (moderate your tone, moderate your demands). 'Diminish' suggests making something smaller or less important, sometimes gradually (the sound diminished as the train pulled away). 'Restrain' implies holding back or keeping under control through deliberate effort (restrain your temper, restrain spending). 'Bate' today is the most literary and least common of the group. You can lessen the risk but not bate the risk; you might moderate your tone or restrain your temper, but 'bate' would sound deliberately old-fashioned in either context.

lessen ↗moderate ↗diminish ↗restrain ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Bate' is a shortened form of the verb 'abate', which entered Middle English from Old French 'abatre' (meaning to beat down or fell). The Old French verb traces back to Latin 'battuere', meaning 'to beat'. The falconry sense developed from the image of a bird of prey beating its wings against restraint — the same root image of 'beating' that gave rise to the general meaning of reducing force. For centuries, 'bate' and 'abate' existed side by side, but 'bate' gradually fell out of everyday use except in a few fixed expressions.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1 Verb (2)