bided

Bided is the past tense and past participle of the verb bide. Bide means to wait patiently, to remain in a place for a period, or to endure something. The most common expression is the idiom bide one’s time, meaning to wait for a favorable moment to act.

In modern usage, bide is primarily intransitive and appears in phrases such as “bide one’s time” or “bide in place.” The simple past tense is bided (for example, “They bided their time until conditions improved”), and the past participle is also bided (as in “They have bided their time”). The present tense forms are bide (I bide, you bide, we bide, they bide) and bides (he bides, she bides, it bides). While some older or regional forms may be found, the standard modern expression for acting in accordance with rules is abide by, not bide by.

Etymology and related senses: bide derives from Old English bidan, meaning to await or remain. It is closely related to abide in sense and origin, though in everyday modern English bide is most recognizable in its time-focused idiom rather than general compliance.

See also: abide, bide one’s time, tarry, await.