bidding

/ˈbɪdɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɪdɪŋ/ (ame, ipa)

bidding — noun

1. when several people or companies each say what price they are willing to pay for

1.名詞B2
釋義

when several people or companies each say what price they are willing to pay for an item, and the seller chooses the offer they like best, usually the highest one

例句

The bidding for the old painting started at two thousand dollars and quickly rose to over ten thousand.

collocation: bidding for [item]

Several construction companies took part in the bidding to build the new hospital.

collocation: take part in the bidding

同義詞
  • auction

    the event itself, not the act of offering prices

  • tender

    used especially in business and government contracts, more formal than bidding

  • offer

    a single price amount, not the whole competitive process

用法筆記

Bidding in this sense is uncountable; you cannot say 'a bidding'. To refer to one specific instance, use 'a bid' instead — for example, 'She made a bid of £200.'

常見錯誤

❌We won the bidding after a long fight.
✅We won the contract after a long bidding process.
💡'bidding' alone does not mean 'competition'; use 'bidding process' or specify what was won.
❌There were many biddings for the painting.
✅There were many bids for the painting.
💡'bidding' is uncountable; use 'bids' for individual offers.

2. the moment when the first price is offered in a public auction, or the act of in

2.名詞B2
釋義

the moment when the first price is offered in a public auction, or the act of inviting people to begin offering prices for an item being sold

例句

The auctioneer asked the crowd to open the bidding on a large antique wardrobe.

phrase: open the bidding

With a small nod from the seller, the auctioneer declared the bidding open.

phrase: declare the bidding open

同義詞
  • opening bid

    the first price amount offered, whereas 'bidding' here refers to the moment of starting

用法筆記

This sense is used mainly in fixed phrases like 'open the bidding', 'the bidding is open', or 'the bidding opened at [amount]'. It focuses on the starting point of the sale rather than the competitive offers that follow.

3. in card games such as bridge, the part of the game that happens before cards are

3.名詞B2
釋義

in card games such as bridge, the part of the game that happens before cards are played, when each player announces how many tricks or points their side aims to win

例句

Kenji and Niran lost several points because their bidding was not clear during the bridge tournament.

domain: bridge card game

In the club's weekly game, the bidding took almost as long as the play itself.

同義詞
  • auction (in bridge)

    a term used interchangeably with 'bidding' in bridge, especially in the UK

  • contract

    the final bid that sets the goal for the declaring side

用法筆記

Bidding in card games has its own vocabulary: a 'bid' is a player's announcement, a 'bidding convention' is an agreed system of bids, and 'the bidding' refers to the whole pre-play exchange. This sense is most common in bridge, but also applies to games like hearts and spades.

常見錯誤

❌The bidding phase in bridge starts after the cards are played.
✅The bidding phase in bridge starts before the cards are played.
💡bidding happens BEFORE play, not after.
❌In bridge, the bidding said the number of tricks.
✅In bridge, the bidding says the number of tricks a player expects to win.
💡a person does the bidding, not 'the bidding' itself.

4. doing what someone has ordered or requested you to do, especially when you feel

4.名詞C1
釋義

doing what someone has ordered or requested you to do, especially when you feel you must obey — always used in the fixed phrase 'at someone's bidding'

例句

The young assistant travelled to Paris at her boss's bidding, even though she had family plans that weekend.

fixed phrase: at [possessive] bidding

The soldiers acted at the general's bidding without questioning the orders.

formal register

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

at [possessive] bidding

用法筆記

This sense NEVER appears without the phrase 'at someone's bidding'. It is not a standalone noun. The possessive can be a name ('at Wei's bidding'), a noun ('at the director's bidding'), or a pronoun ('at her bidding'). The tone is often formal or literary, implying that the person being ordered has little choice.

常見錯誤

❌He did her bidding without question.
✅He acted at her bidding without question.
💡the phrase requires 'at' before the possessive; 'do someone's bidding' is non-standard.
❌She spoke at the bidding of the manager.
✅She spoke at the manager's bidding.
💡the possessive form ('manager's') is much more natural than 'of the manager'.