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• bend
  bend

  verb (used with object)

  to force (an object, especially a long or thin one) from a straight form into a curved or angular one, or from a curved or angular form into some different form.
• Bend
  Bend

  noun

  a city in central Oregon.

bend

¹ American  

[bend] / bɛnd /

verb (used with object)

• bends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bent,
  past participle,  past
• bended,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• bending
  present participle

1. to force (an object, especially a long or thin one) from a straight form into a curved or angular one, or from a curved or angular form into some different form.

   to bend an iron rod into a hoop.

   Synonyms:

   bow, flex, crook, curve

2. to direct or turn in a particular direction.

   to bend one's energies to the task.

3. to cause to submit or yield.

   to bend someone to one's will.

   Synonyms:

   sway, persuade, compel, shape, mold, influence

4. to modify or relax (restrictions, regulations, etc.) temporarily or in certain circumstances.

   to bend the rules.

5. to incline mentally (usually followed by to ortoward ).

   bending his thoughts back toward his childhood.

6. to pull back the string of (a bow or the like) in preparation for shooting.

7. Nautical. to fasten.

8. Archaic. to strain or brace tensely (often followed byup ).

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verb (used without object)

• bends,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bent,
  past participle,  past
• bended,
  past participle,  past (Archaic)
• bending
  present participle

1. to become curved, crooked, or bent.

   a bow that bends easily.

2. to assume a bent posture; stoop (often followed byover ).

   to bend as one walks;

   to bend over and pick up something.

3. to turn or incline in a particular direction; be directed.

   The road bent toward the south.

4. to yield or submit; give in.

5. to bow in submission or reverence.

   bending to one's monarch.

6. to direct one's energies.

   We bent to our work as the bell sounded.

noun

1. the act of bending.

2. something that bends; curve; crook.

   a bend in the road;

   a bend in the curtain rod.

3. Nautical. any of various loops or knots for joining the ends of two ropes or the like, or for joining the end of a rope or the like to some other object.

4. Nautical. bends,

   1. thick planking immediately below the waterways of a wooden vessel.

   2. the wales of a vessel.

5. the bends, aeroembolism.

idioms

1. around / round the bend, insane; crazy.

   These interruptions will send me round the bend!

2. bend / lean / fall over backward, to exert oneself to the utmost; make a serious effort.

   They bent over backward to make sure their guests were comfortable.

bend ² American  

[bend] / bɛnd /

noun

1. Heraldry.

   1. a diagonal band extending from the dexter chief of an escutcheon to the sinister base.

   2. in bend, (of a charge) set diagonally or in a diagonal row.

2. Tanning. half of a trimmed butt or hide.

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Bend ³ American  

[bend] / bɛnd /

noun

1. a city in central Oregon.

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bend ¹ British  

/ bɛnd /

verb

1. to form or cause to form a curve, as by pushing or pulling

2. to turn or cause to turn from a particular direction

   the road bends left past the church

3. (intr; often foll by down, etc) to incline the body; stoop; bow

4. to submit or cause to submit

   to bend before superior force

5. (tr) to turn or direct (one's eyes, steps, attention, etc)

6. (tr) to concentrate (the mind); apply oneself closely

7. (tr) nautical to attach or fasten, as a sail to a boom or a line to a cleat

8. informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please

   he bends over backwards to accommodate his customers

9. informal to speak at length to an unwilling listener, esp to voice one's troubles

10. informal to ignore rules or change them to suit one's own convenience

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noun

1. a curved part, as in a road or river

2. nautical a knot or eye in a line for joining it to another or to an object

3. the act or state of bending

4. slang mad; crazy; eccentric

bend ² British  

/ bɛnd /

noun

1. heraldry an ordinary consisting of a diagonal line traversing a shield

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bend More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bend

• around the bend
• crook (bend) one's elbow
• on bended knee

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Usage

What is a basic definition of bend? Bend means to make something change its shape from straight to curved or to make someone submit. A bend is a curve or a turn. The word bend has several other senses as a verb and a noun. If you bend something that is straight, you are forcing it into a curve or an angle. If you bend a drinking straw, for example, you are using your hands to force it to curve or to slant. If you bend something too far, it may snap or break. Something or someone that bends is a bender.

• Real-life examples: A baker needs to bend dough to make a pretzel. Yoga includes a lot of bending forward and backward.
• Used in a sentence: Jonah’s arms were so sore after lifting weights that he could barely bend his arms.

Bend can also be used to mean to become curved or angled. This sense is often followed by the word over or down when referring to a person bending to stoop down. The adjective bendy describes something as bending easily or having a tendency to bend.

• Used in a sentence: I bent over and picked up all of the trash on the ground.

A bend is a curve or change in direction.

• Used in a sentence: When driving, you need to be careful of sudden bends in the road.

Bend can also mean to make someone submit or yield or to submit to someone else.

• Used in a sentence: Charlemagne forced the conquered people to bend to his will.

Armando bent to her demands because he had no other choice.

Synonym Usage

Bend, bow, stoop imply taking a bent posture. Bend and bow are used of the head and upper body; stoop is used of the body only.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bendable
  adjective
• nonbending
  adjective
• rebendable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• bending
  present
• bended
  past
• bent
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bend
  simple
• bends
  simple
• have bended
  perfect
• have bent
  perfect
• has bended
  perfect
• has bent
  perfect
• am bending
  progressive
• are bending
  progressive
• is bending
  progressive
• have been bending
  perfect progressive
• has been bending
  perfect progressive

Past

• bended
  simple
• bent
  simple
• had bended
  perfect
• had bent
  perfect
• was bending
  progressive
• were bending
  progressive
• had been bending
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bend
  simple
• will have bended
  perfect
• will have bent
  perfect
• will be bending
  progressive
• will have been bending
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bend¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb benden, binde, Old English bendan “to bind, bend (a bow)”; cognate with Middle High German benden, Old Norse benda; akin to Old Norse band “band, cord, confederacy”; see band ³

Origin of bend²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English adjective bende; blend of Old English bend “band, fetter” and Middle French bende ( Medieval Latin benda, binda ); band ², band ³

Explanation

To bend is to curve. You can bend physically, as when you practice yoga, and also figuratively, the way you do when you "bend over backwards," working hard to make something happen, especially on behalf of another person. Tree trunks and branches are able to bend when they're whipped by strong wind — this way, they're usually able to avoid breaking. A bend in the road is a curve, and to bend the rules is to change them slightly in a specific instance. If you try to do a backbend, you have to arch or bend your spine and lean back until her head hangs down and your hands touch the floor. It's a move for the young and flexible. The Old English root, bendan, specifically referred to bending or stretching a bow.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bend Bend bends bended bent bending

Zuckerberg in his Monday essay wrote of a world where “open-source” models allow anyone and everyone to harness AI’s power and bend it to their own purposes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

“We’re optimistic that new leadership can bend the curve on traffic, but remain realistic that direct competitors have also gotten noticeably sharper, and the planned initiatives will take time to bear fruit,” he wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

“And when it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views. I believe that news should be based on facts and truth.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

In other insects, it helps form durable structures such as wing hinges and tendons that must bend repeatedly without wearing out.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

I bend over to pick a few grains of sand from under my toes.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Daniel Ingham died in the crash at Doran's Bend on the western section of the course on the first lap of the third qualifying session on Wednesday evening, race organisers said.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

In CPB’s Big Bend Sector project, for example, contractors were ultimately required to install cattle fencing and cattle guards — something Posillico’s lawsuit contends was not what the government originally asked of potential contractors.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

Rapid population growth in Fort Bend County, Texas, has led to new communities near the plant—and residents are raising air-quality concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

When public utilities indefinitely cut power to the Portuguese Bend community in Rancho Palos Verdes last year following months of devastating landslide movement, most residents saw it as the neighborhood’s latest obstacle.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

“The assault at Milliken’s Bend was the Rebs’ last hope to get reinforcements to Vicksburg,” David said over the excited chatter filling the Bochinche.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

It was a total eclipse that let Arthur Eddington test Albert Einstein’s claim that gravity bends light.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Part of that attention is aimed at Burwell’s score, a masterpiece of electronic minimalism in which pitch bends and hard clashes create the dread and whiplash that make the film so tense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Steep ascents, hairpin bends and stretches of unpaved road have added to the difficulties facing this tourist town, whose visitors have unsurprisingly stopped visiting while fish sales have stalled.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

The back straight and bends are usually cheaper at major track meets because the view of races is regarded as worse than the home straight, where tickets can often run into hundreds of pounds.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

He bends over his duffel bag and takes out a brown radio.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

His colleagues celebrated his candidacy by circulating an image of him on bended knee praying for divine guidance with other lawmakers on the House floor.

From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2023

She says in the show: “Here I am, coming to you, prime minister, on bended knee, for the sign-off, but I’m hoping that will be a formality.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2022

Just weeks later, he went down on bended knee at an Oxford ball.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2022

Me on bended knee, with a ring I'd emptied my bank account to buy.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2022

“Lord Davos, if you are a lord, I know what your so-called king would have of me. Steel and silver and a bended knee.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Even the entreaties of Islamic scholars and officials of Islamic countries the world over have not bent the iron will of the emir and his enforcers, especially on the most sensitive issue of education.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Fittingly, for a man so bent on proving himself the greatest of all time, Djokovic paired up with director Jason Hehir, best known for “The Last Dance,” the documentary about Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Tenor Martin Luther Clark was bent on erasing Don Ottavio’s usual wimpiness, sometimes to excess; Daniel Mobbs was insufficiently scary as the Commendatore, despite help from the trombones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The hood is bent, the radiator is cracked, and the front bumper is destroyed.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

I stood up, bent because of the wind, shivering, listening to Patch crying.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Even now, Harbaugh made clear he wasn’t bending the rules.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The first was a quadratic trend analysis, which tests whether the temperature curve is bending upward over time rather than rising at a constant rate.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

For more than 20 years, Lionel Messi has been able to do anything he wants on a soccer pitch, bending the game to his will and conjuring otherworldly moves out of thin air.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Folarin Balogun showed pace, power and then composure to take a touch inside the covering defender before bending the ball into the top corner with his left foot.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

He was bending over and staring at something on the ground.

From "Mystery Map (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #3)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Related Words

• bow
• buckle
• crouch
• curl
• flex
• incline
• lean
• stoop
• tilt
• twist
• veer