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Bid (“command”)
Bid /bɪd/ is a rare English irregular lexical verb.[1]
Bid means “command.” It’s most commonly colocated with farewell, i.e. to bid farewell meaning “to say goodbye.”
Bid has a base form and bare infinitive bid, a to infinitive to bid, a third person form bids /bɪdz/, an -ing form bidding, an irregular preterite bade (see below), and an irregular past participle bidden. However, conflation with the other bid — meaning “to offer” — means that bid is often also used as the preterite and past participle.
Bid can be used as a causative verb, in which case it licenses a bare infinitive rather than a to infinitive. In this regard, it is like the more common make and let: e.g. I bid him hold his tongue. However, this usage seems rather archaic to modern ears, but may survive as literary idiom.
Bid forms the compound verb forbid with for. Forbid much more common than bid.
The preterite bade is traditionally pronounced as /ˈbæd/, a homophone with bad.[2] However, the more modern pronunciation is /ˈbeɪd/.
