What does "bout" mean?
A period of something, especially one painful or unpleasant, like an illness.
Bout
/ˈbaʊt/ name, noun, prep, verb, slang
name, noun, prep, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A period of something, especially one painful or unpleasant, like an illness.
- Grammar: bout is listed as name, noun, prep, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: arsis, attack, attack, bacchanal.
- Useful contrasts: calm, lull, peace.
- Usage evidence: A fussy referee can ruin a bout.
How to use "bout"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bout" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bout" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bout" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bout" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bout" is acting as name, noun, prep, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "arsis" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bout", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A period of something, especially one painful or unpleasant, like an illness.
"a bout of drought"
- 2 an occasion for excessive eating or drinking wordnet
- 3 A boxing match.
"An Italian boxer abandoned her bout at the Paris Olympics after only 46 seconds on Thursday, refusing to continue after taking a heavy punch from an Algerian opponent who had been disqualified from last year’s world championships over questions about her eligibility to compete in women’s sports."
- 4 a contest or fight (especially between boxers or wrestlers) wordnet
- 5 An assault (a fencing encounter) at which the score is kept.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a period of illness wordnet
- 7 A roller derby match.
- 8 (sports) a division of a game during which one team is on the offensive wordnet
- 9 A fighting competition.
"Then they had bouts of wrestling and of cudgel play, so that every day they gained in skill and strength."
- 10 A bulge or widening in a musical instrument, such as either of the two characteristic bulges of a guitar.
- 11 The going and returning of a plough, or other implement used to mark the ground and create a headland, across a field. dated
"The outside bout of each land is ploughed two inches deeper, and from thence the water runs into cross furrows, which are dug with a spade […] I have an instrument of great power, called a scarifier, for this purpose. It is drawn by four horses, and completely prepares the land for the seed at each bout."
Verb
- 1 To contest a bout.
Preposition
- 1 Apheretic form of about. colloquial
"They're talking bout you!"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname
Example
"A fussy referee can ruin a bout."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bout"?
Common synonyms include: arsis, attack, attack, bacchanal, bacchanalia, bacchanalian.
How do you use "bout" in a sentence?
A fussy referee can ruin a bout.
How do you pronounce "bout"?
Pronounced /ˈbaʊt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bout, bowt, bught (whence also modern English bought (“bend, curve”)), probably from Old English *buht (“bend, turn”), an unrecorded variant of Old English byht (“a bend, curve”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhti, from Proto-Germanic *buhtiz (“a bend”). Equivalent to bow + -t. Doublet of bight and bought. For the sense development compare bender.
Etymology 2
Written form of a reduction of about.