"throw the baby out with the bathwater" meaning in English

See throw the baby out with the bathwater in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /θɹəʊ ðə ˈbeɪbi aʊt wɪð ðə ˈbɑːθwɔːtə(ɹ)/ [Received-Pronunciation], /θɹoʊ ðə ˈbeɪbi aʊt wɪθ ðə ˈbæθwɔtɚ/ [General-American] Audio: En-au-throw the baby out with the bathwater.ogg Forms: throws the baby out with the bathwater [present, singular, third-person], throwing the baby out with the bathwater [participle, present], threw the baby out with the bathwater [past], thrown the baby out with the bathwater [participle, past], throw out the baby with the bathwater [alternative], throw out the baby with the bath water [alternative], throw the baby out with the bath water [alternative]
Etymology: From a calque of German schüttet das Kind mit dem Bade aus, a proverb that dates to 1512. First recorded by Thomas Murner in his satire Narrenbeschwörung. First appeared in English when Thomas Carlyle translated it and used it in an 1849 essay on slavery. Etymology templates: {{clq|en|de|schüttet das Kind mit dem Bade aus|nocap=1}} calque of German schüttet das Kind mit dem Bade aus Head templates: {{en-verb|throw<,,threw,thrown> the baby out with the bathwater}} throw the baby out with the bathwater (third-person singular simple present throws the baby out with the bathwater, present participle throwing the baby out with the bathwater, simple past threw the baby out with the bathwater, past participle thrown the baby out with the bathwater)
  1. (idiomatic) To discard, inadvertently or through overzealousness, something valuable or essential ("the baby") in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted or undesirable ("the bathwater"). Tags: idiomatic Translations ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted): vylít vaničku i s dítětem (Czech), kaste barnet ud med badevandet (Danish), smide barnet ud med badevandet (Danish), het kind met het badwater weggooien (Dutch), heittää lapsi pois pesuveden mukana (Finnish), heittää lapsi pesuveden mukana (Finnish), jeter le bébé avec l’eau du bain (French), das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten (German), שפך את התינוק עם המים (Hebrew), a fürdővízzel együtt a gyereket is kiönti (Hungarian), að kasta barninu út með baðvatninu (Icelandic), an t-asal a dhíol leis an adhastar (Irish), buttare il bambino con l'acqua sporca (Italian), helle barnet ut med badevannet (Norwegian Bokmål), kaste barnet ut med badevannet (Norwegian Bokmål), slå barnet ut med badevannet (Norwegian Bokmål), slå ut barnet med badevatnet (Norwegian Nynorsk), wylewać dziecko z kąpielą [imperfective] (Polish), wylać dziecko z kąpielą [perfective] (Polish), deitar fora a criança com a água do banho [Portugal] (Portuguese), jogar fora o bebê com a água do banho [Brazil] (Portuguese), вме́сте с водо́й вы́плеснуть и ребёнка (vméste s vodój výplesnutʹ i rebjónka) (Russian), вы́плеснуть ребёнка вме́сте с водо́й (výplesnutʹ rebjónka vméste s vodój) (Russian), kasta ut barnet med badvattnet (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

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        "To discard, inadvertently or through overzealousness, something valuable or essential (\"the baby\") in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted or undesirable (\"the bathwater\")."
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          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "vylít vaničku i s dítětem"
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          "word": "kaste barnet ud med badevandet"
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          "word": "het kind met het badwater weggooien"
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          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "heittää lapsi pois pesuveden mukana"
        },
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          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "heittää lapsi pesuveden mukana"
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          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "jeter le bébé avec l’eau du bain"
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          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten"
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          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "שפך את התינוק עם המים"
        },
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          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "a fürdővízzel együtt a gyereket is kiönti"
        },
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          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "að kasta barninu út með baðvatninu"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "an t-asal a dhíol leis an adhastar"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "buttare il bambino con l'acqua sporca"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "角を矯めて牛を殺す (tsuno o tamete ushi o korosu, literally “straighten the horns and (thereby) kill the cow”)",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "helle barnet ut med badevannet"
        },
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          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "kaste barnet ut med badevannet"
        },
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          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "slå barnet ut med badevannet"
        },
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          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
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          "word": "slå ut barnet med badevatnet"
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          "code": "pl",
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          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "wylewać dziecko z kąpielą"
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          "tags": [
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          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
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            "Portugal"
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          "word": "deitar fora a criança com a água do banho"
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          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "tags": [
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          "word": "jogar fora o bebê com a água do banho"
        },
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          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "vméste s vodój výplesnutʹ i rebjónka",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "вме́сте с водо́й вы́плеснуть и ребёнка"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "výplesnutʹ rebjónka vméste s vodój",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "вы́плеснуть ребёнка вме́сте с водо́й"
        },
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          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
          "word": "kasta ut barnet med badvattnet"
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      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "vylít vaničku i s dítětem"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "kaste barnet ud med badevandet"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "smide barnet ud med badevandet"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "het kind met het badwater weggooien"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "heittää lapsi pois pesuveden mukana"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "heittää lapsi pesuveden mukana"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "jeter le bébé avec l’eau du bain"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "שפך את התינוק עם המים"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "a fürdővízzel együtt a gyereket is kiönti"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "að kasta barninu út með baðvatninu"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "an t-asal a dhíol leis an adhastar"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "buttare il bambino con l'acqua sporca"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "角を矯めて牛を殺す (tsuno o tamete ushi o korosu, literally “straighten the horns and (thereby) kill the cow”)",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "helle barnet ut med badevannet"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "kaste barnet ut med badevannet"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "slå barnet ut med badevannet"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "slå ut barnet med badevatnet"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "wylewać dziecko z kąpielą"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "wylać dziecko z kąpielą"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "tags": [
        "Portugal"
      ],
      "word": "deitar fora a criança com a água do banho"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "tags": [
        "Brazil"
      ],
      "word": "jogar fora o bebê com a água do banho"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "vméste s vodój výplesnutʹ i rebjónka",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "вме́сте с водо́й вы́плеснуть и ребёнка"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "výplesnutʹ rebjónka vméste s vodój",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "вы́плеснуть ребёнка вме́сте с водо́й"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "(idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted",
      "word": "kasta ut barnet med badvattnet"
    }
  ],
  "word": "throw the baby out with the bathwater"
}

Download raw JSONL data for throw the baby out with the bathwater meaning in English (8.2kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (5ee713e and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.