From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishkeep/hold something at baykeep/hold something at bayPREVENTto prevent something dangerous or unpleasant from happening or from coming too close A thick wall keeps the noise at bay. → bay
Examples from the Corpus
keep/hold something at bay• Another technique for keeping performance anxiety at bay is the group sing-along.• Brown has kept the tumult at bay.• He was gritting his teeth against the pain, keeping it at bay while he studied the stump, the severed hand.• Sandbags kept the floodwaters at bay.• She holds the adventurers at bay by holding the scroll over a candle flame and threatening to destroy it.• All in all, the eatery is a breakfast bargain, with enough different components to keep boredom at bay.• Two green glazed lions guarded the gates to keep evil spirits at bay.• Concentrating on Emma would help to keep her worries at bay for a little while.• The government hopes to keep inflation at bay.• My voice holds them at bay. 