bə̇ˈtīd, bē- verb
( betided -tīdə̇d ; also archaic be·tid -tid ; betided also archaic betid ; betiding ; betides )
Etymology: Middle English betiden, from be- + tiden to happen — more at tide
transitive verb
1. : to happen to : befall — now used chiefly in the expression woe betide
woe betide the man who recognizes no law
woe betide our enemies
2. : forebode , presage
such omens betide no good
intransitive verb
1. : befall , happen
hope … must abide with all of us, whate'er betide — William Wordsworth
2. obsolete : to be the fate or end — used with of or on
if he were dead, what would betide on me — Shakespeare
3. : betoken , forebode
Synonyms: see happen