Definition

1. Verb:
   • To remove water from a boat: The primary meaning is to scoop water out of a vessel, such as a boat or canoe, using a bucket or other container, and throw it over the side to prevent sinking.

Usage

• This verb is typically used in the context of marine emergencies or maintenance. It describes a specific, manual action taken to keep a boat afloat.
• It is often used in the continuous form ("baling out") to describe the ongoing process, or in the infinitive ("to bale out") to describe the action itself.

Examples

• Verb:
  • We had to bale out the lifeboat after the wave hit us.
  • He spent an hour baling out the rainwater that had collected in the old dinghy.
  • The first task was to bale out the water before we could row to safety.

Advanced Usage

• "to bale out water": This is a more explicit phrasing of the core action.
  • They used a tin can to bale out water from the leaking hull.

Variants and Related Words

• Bail out (verb): This is a common alternative spelling for the same nautical action. "Bail out" is frequently used interchangeably with "bale out" in this context.
  • We need to bail out this canoe before it sinks.

Synonyms

• Bail: To remove water from a boat (the verb form of the alternative spelling).
• Scoop out: To remove something, like water, with a scooping motion.
• Drain: To remove liquid from a container or area.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Bale out/Bail out (Aviation context): This is a different phrasal verb with a distinct meaning: to jump out of an aircraft using a parachute.
  • The pilot was forced to bail out when the engine failed.
  • Note: This meaning is unrelated to removing water and is listed here due to the identical spelling/phrasing. It is considered a separate lexical item.

Notes on Usage

• The nautical term "bale out" is less common in modern American English, where "bail out" is the predominant spelling for both the nautical and aviation meanings. In British English, "bale out" is traditionally used for removing water, while "bail out" is used for the aviation meaning, though this distinction is not always strictly observed.
• This entry focuses solely on the meaning of removing water from a boat. The aviation meaning and the figurative meaning of providing financial help ("to bail out a company") are separate phrasal verbs.

Verb

1. remove (water) from a boat by dipping and throwing over the side