- Sir Alan (Arthur). 1934–2003, British film and stage actor. His films include A Kind of Loving (1962), Women in Love (1969), The Go-Between (1971), and The Cherry Orchard (1999)
- H(erbert) E(rnest). 1905–74, English writer of short stories and novels, which include The Darling Buds of May (1958), A Moment in Time (1964), and The Triple Echo (1970)
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Bates
(bāts),USA pronunciation n.
- Biographical Katherine Lee, 1859–1929, U.S. educator and author.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Bates /beɪts/ n
bate1
(bāt),USA pronunciation v., bat•ed, bat•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
bate2 (bāt),USA pronunciation v., bat•ed, bat•ing, n.
v.i.
n.
bate3 (bāt),USA pronunciation v., bat•ed, bat•ing, n.
v.t., v.i.
n.
v.t.
- to moderate or restrain:unable to bate our enthusiasm.
- to lessen or diminish;
abate:setbacks that bated his hopes.
v.i.
- to diminish or subside;
abate. - Idioms with bated breath, with breath drawn in or held because of anticipation or suspense:We watched with bated breath as the runners approached the finish line.
- Middle English, aphetic variant of abate 1250–1300
bate2 (bāt),USA pronunciation v., bat•ed, bat•ing, n.
v.i.
- (of a hawk) to flutter its wings and attempt to escape in a fit of anger or fear.
n.
- a state of violent anger or fear.
- Middle French (se) batre
Latin battuere to beat; compare abate - Middle English baten to beat, flap (wings, etc.) 1250–1300
bate3 (bāt),USA pronunciation v., bat•ed, bat•ing, n.
v.t., v.i.
- Clothing[Tanning.]to soak (leather) after liming in an alkaline solution to soften it and remove the lime.
n.
- Clothingthe solution used.
- 1870–75; variant of beat to pare off turf, Old English bǣtan to bait; cognate with Swedish beta to tan, German beissen to macerate
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
bate /beɪt/ vb
- another word for abate
bate /beɪt/ vb
- (intransitive) (of hawks) to jump violently from a perch or the falconer's fist, often hanging from the leash while struggling to escape
bate /beɪt/ n
- Brit slang a bad temper or rage
'Bates' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):