at bay
auf Abstand, in die Enge (treiben), in Schach (halten), in die Ecke (drängen)
Unable to come closerUnable to come closer; at a distance.
» He tried to keep his tears at bay.
Meaning
3 senses(idiomatic)Unable to come closer; at a distance.
auf Abstand
(idiomatic)Cornered; unable to flee.
in Schach (halten), in die Enge (treiben), in die Ecke (drängen)
Of an animal, especially a docile animal in contrast to a predatory animal which would be blazoned statant: standing, in profile toward dexter, with all four feet on the ground. (If gazing at the viewer, the animal is at gaze.)
Examples
12 sentencesHe tried to keep his tears at bay.
One egg a day may keep stroke at bay.
Zucchini keeps respiratory problems at bay.
Ziri kept the jackals at bay.
He drew a bead on a stag at bay.
Translations
5 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 2
unable to come closer:
cornered:
Origin
From bay (“excited howling of dogs”).From bay (“excited howling of dogs”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
6 synonymsat a distance:awayA1backA2at a distanceat arm's length