make bail
Idioms-
Put up security as an assurance that someone released from prison will appear for trial, as in He didn't think he could make bail for his brother. The use of bail for “security” was first recorded in 1495.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For more than two years they have been kept in a county jail, unable to make bail.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2024
It’s not uncommon for defendants who can’t make bail to lose their jobs and even their homes while in jail awaiting trial.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2023
Many journalists and activists have been jailed over the past three years, often under laws that make bail difficult to obtain.
From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2022
Superior Court Judge Maryann D'Addezio signed off on a criminal protective order that will prevent Larry from contacting certain individuals if he does make bail before trial.
From Fox News • Oct. 25, 2021
If you can make bail, you pay and go home.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.