noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈbiːdɒn/
Received-Pronunciation:/-dɒ̃/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈbidɑn/
1
noun
Meaning 1
A bottle or flask for holding a beverage such as water or wine; (specifically, sports) a water bottle which can be squeezed to squirt the beverage out of the nozzle, especially (cycling) one designed for mounting on a bicycle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sports bottle
2
noun
Meaning 2
A container for holding a liquid.
A cup made of wood.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A container for holding a liquid.
An oil drum; a petrol can.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: jerrycan
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Borrowed from French bidon (“can, canister, tin”), from Middle French bidon (“small sealed portable container made of metal or wood”), from Old Norse *biða (“container, vessel”), from Proto-Germanic *bidōn, *bidjan (“tub, vat; vessel”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhidh- (“barrel; bucket; pot”), from *bheydh- (“to bind; to weave”).
Across languages
Translations
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Czech:
bidon
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Dutch:
bidon
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Finnish:
juomapullo
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
French:
bidon
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Galician:
botella
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Khmer:
ប៊ីដុង
(biidong)
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Polish:
bidon
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Romanian:
bidon
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Spanish:
bidón
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Vietnamese:
bi-đông
— bottle or flask for holding a beverage; water bottle, especially one designed for mounting on a bicycle
Azerbaijani:
bidon
— container for holding a liquid
Azerbaijani:
qıf
— container for holding a liquid
Czech:
bidon
— container for holding a liquid
Finnish:
juomapullo
— container for holding a liquid
Finnish:
juoma-astia
— container for holding a liquid
Galician:
bidón
— container for holding a liquid
Greek:
μπιτόνι
(bitóni)
— container for holding a liquid
Italian:
bidone
— container for holding a liquid
Moore:
bidu
— container for holding a liquid
Portuguese:
bidão
— container for holding a liquid
Russian:
бидо́н
(bidón)
— container for holding a liquid
