金融救市，简单地说就是美国政府的金融救援行动，英语中的对应表达为financial(industry) rescue或financial sector rescue, 金融救援计划就叫做financial (industry/sector)rescue plan或 financial markets rescue plan或rescue plan for the financial sector/industry，美国政府提交国会表决的金融救援方案叫做financial (industry/sector) rescue bill。2008年10月1日美联社的一篇相关报道的导语是这样的：WASHINGTON - Two House leaders said Wednesday headway is being made toward getting the $700 billion financial industry rescue bill through Congress, thanks partly to a provision increasing insurance for people's deposits. 新华社10月1日的英文报道也这么写道：U.S. Senate to vote on financial rescue plan on Wednesday。
1． Wall Street suffers as Congress vetoes bailout plan（AP，Sep 30）
2． Defiant House Rejects Huge Bailout; Next Step Is Uncertain（The New York Times, Sep 30）
3． Bush warns of 'painful' consequences if bailout rejected（The Los Angeles Times, Sep 30）
4． European, Asian markets improve on US bailout hope（AP，Oct.1）
5． Oil rises to $101 on bailout plan hopes（AP，Oct.1）
又如以下新闻导语：
1． After a breakthrough on a $700 billion Wall Street bailout, lawmakers and Bush administration now must settle the final details on a rescue intended to keep credit flowing and avert a crippling recession.
2． US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and leading lawmakers early Sunday reported "great progress toward" reaching an unprecedented 700-billion-dollar Wall Street bailout plan before markets reopen, saying the accord would likely be finalized later in the day.
又如，美国国会2008年9月29日否决了布什政府的金融救援方案之后，美国媒体就报道说，Senate to Vote Today on the Bailout Plan。
在美国英语中，bail通常都是与犯罪案件的新闻报道联系在一起的，因为它通常表示警方在拘捕犯罪嫌疑人或囚禁犯人之后同意疑犯以交纳保释金（paid）的方式获释，通常适用于罪行不很严重的犯人。当它作名词时，通常用于release somebody on bail/grant somebody bail(=let somebody out of prison when the bail is paid)。如：She was released on bail of $5000.她在交纳了5000美元保释金后获释。另一常见用法为be on bail（=be waiting for trial after bail is paid），即在交纳保释金后等待受审，在保释期。
在新闻报道中，上述用法十分普遍，如：
1． An former Iranian police commander detained for on accusations of "immorality” has been released on bail after spending around five months behind bars.
2． Novato thief stole jewelry to post bail, police say.
3． Police arrested him on Thursday, accusing him of taking part in a marijuana grow -op drug ring. Yesterday a court released him on $50000 bail
4． Webbie has posted $25000 bail after his arrest in Mississippi, stemming from a high-speed car chase with ….
5． Court orders man who beat girlfriend to post $1500 bail.
当bail用作动词时，常用bail out这个短语动词，如Clarke’s father bailed him out after paying $5000/Clarke’s father paid $5000 to bail him out（克拉克的父亲交纳了5000美元保释他出来。）
除了上述意思，bail out还可以表示“（提供经费）帮助……摆脱困境”，如You cannot expect taxpayers to bail out the car industry indefinitely.（你不能指望纳税人无限期地帮助汽车工业摆脱困境。）很显然，正是这个意思使得bail out与当前的金融救市联系在了一起，如the government uses fiscal resources to bail out Fannie and Freddie（政府动用金融资源帮助房利美和房地美摆脱困境）。除了语义上的含义明确，美国的新闻报道习惯使用一些短小精悍的短语动词也在这里得到了充分体现。根据英语词汇学原理，短语动词大多可以通过左右自然合成或者右左逆向合成来组合成一个合成名词，于是便有了bailout这个名词，该单词早就被英语词典收录为词条，如《朗曼当代高级英语词典》对此的解释是：（非正式）紧急财政援助。The directorates were hoping for a government bailout to save the company（董事们都希望政府能出资援助，以解公司燃眉之急。）最新的例证是，雷曼兄弟破产之际，美国政府拒绝施救，于是就有了如下新闻报道标题：Paulson says Lehman bailout was never an option，即“美国财长保尔森表示政府从未考虑过救援雷曼兄弟”。上述表态的背景是，2008年9月12日，保尔森公开表示，美国政府不会浪费纳税人的税款拯救雷曼兄弟。在具体情况中，bailout前面可能会出现一些具体的前置修饰词语，如financial industry/sector bailout，而此次美国政府的7000亿美元救市行动就叫做$700 billion bailout for the financial industry。
著名网络百科词典维基百科（Wikipedia）称，bailout是经济学中的一个常见术语并解释如下：Bailout in economics and finance is a term used to describe a situation where a bankrupt or nearly bankrupt entity, such as a corporation or a bank, is given a fresh injection of liquidity, in order to meet its short term obligations. Often bailouts are by governments, or by consortia of investors who demand control over the entity as the price for injecting funds. 由此可见，所谓bailout指的是企业或者银行在面临倒闭的情况下，由政府或投资财团提供短期资金注入以助其度过难关的情况，是为“救援”。如近期的一篇美联社新闻报道中有这么两段话：But rebel Republicans instead drafted an alternative plan, calling for an expanded insurance system financed by banks to rescue individual home mortgages, so taxpayers do not have to fund the bailout.
The proposed bailout, first rushed to Capitol Hill by Paulson as a three-page proposal, has now ballooned into a document of more than 100 pages, CNN reported.
在此次大规模金融救市行动之前，美国政府已经采取过不少针对企业的金融救援行动，如2008年9月16日晚，美联储宣布已授权纽约联邦储备银行向陷于破产边缘的世界保险和金融服务的领导者，同时也是全球首屈一指的国际性保险服务机构美国国际集团（AIG）提供最多850亿美元的紧急贷款，并获得AIG 79.9%的股东权益。美国媒体的新闻报道如下：The government announced an $85 billion bailout of the huge insurer AIG in a bid to avoid further market upheaval.在美国政府准备“出手”救助深陷危机的两大房贷融资机构房利美和房地美时，美国媒体也有如下报道：US Treasury to bail out Fannie Mae, Freddie。
