bend

[bend]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bend ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), bent or (Archaic) bend·ed; bend·ing.

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.

to direct or turn in a particular direction: to bend one's energies to the task.

to cause to submit or yield: to bend someone to one's will.

to modify or relax (restrictions, regulations, etc.) temporarily or in certain circumstances: to bend the rules.

to incline mentally (usually followed by to or toward): bending his thoughts back toward his childhood.

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

Nautical. to fasten.

Archaic. to strain or brace tensely (often followed by up).

verb (used without object), bent or (Archaic) bend·ed; bend·ing.

to become curved, crooked, or bent: a bow that bends easily.

to assume a bent posture; stoop (often followed by over): to bend as one walks; to bend over and pick up something.

to turn or incline in a particular direction; be directed: The road bent toward the south.

to yield or submit; give in.

to bow in submission or reverence: bending to one's monarch.

to direct one's energies: We bent to our work as the bell sounded.

noun

the act of bending.

something that bends; curve; crook: a bend in the road; a bend in the curtain rod.

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.

bends, Nautical.

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

the bends, aeroembolism(def 2).

Idioms

around/round the bend, Slang. insane; crazy: These interruptions will send me round the bend!

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.

Origin of bend

before 1000; Middle English benden (v.) Old English bendan to bind, bend (a bow); cognate with Middle High German benden, Old Norse benda; akin to Old Norse band band. See band³

Related formsbend·a·ble, adjectivenon·bend·ing, adjectivere·bend·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms for bend

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bend ON THESAURUS.COM

1. curve, crook, flex, bow. 3. mold, subdue, influence.

Synonym study

10. 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.

bend

[bend]

noun

Heraldry.

a diagonal band extending from the dexter chief of an escutcheon to the sinister base.Compare bend sinister.
in bend,(of a charge) set diagonally or in a diagonal row.

Tanning. half of a trimmed butt or hide.

Origin of bend

before 1000; Middle English: coalescence of Old English bend band (see band³) and Middle French bende band²

Bend

[bend]

noun

a city in central Oregon.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bend

flex, crouch, incline, veer, tilt, buckle, stoop, lean, bow, twist, curl, mold, sway, yield, bending, sag, crook, arc, corner, angle

Examples from the Web for bend

Contemporary Examples of bend

And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!
Olivia Nuzzi
January 8, 2015
Clickbait title notwithstanding, Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!
Olivia Nuzzi
January 8, 2015
After acknowledging that there has been a “bend in the curve” and a reason to hope, he warned against inaction.
Millions Promised for Ebola Not Adding Up
Abby Haglage
November 25, 2014
The city was described by V.S. Naipaul in his 1979 novel A Bend in the River as “a place where the future has come and gone.”
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis
Nina Strochlic
November 23, 2014
“This is the key way to bend the curve,” Powell told The Daily Beast of the mission abroad in a September interview.
Ron Klain Will Be the Best Ebola Czar Yet
Tim Mak, Abby Haglage
October 17, 2014

Historical Examples of bend

Everywhere we see the vine, and with every bend we seem nearer the South.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
A compact little group of men rounded the bend and approached.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
Here she anchored again, just round a bend of the river, and lay there for the night.
Fair Margaret
H. Rider Haggard
He rounded a bend of the road, and came full upon a remarkable vision.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
It was fair, and so long that when standing up she could tread on it and bend her head forward.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for bend

bend

verb bends, bending or bent

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

to turn or cause to turn from a particular directionthe road bends left past the church

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

to submit or cause to submitto bend before superior force

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

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

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

bend over backwards informal to make a special effort, esp in order to pleasehe bends over backwards to accommodate his customers

bend someone's ear informal to speak at length to an unwilling listener, esp to voice one's troubles

bend the rules informal to ignore rules or change them to suit one's own convenience

noun

a curved part, as in a road or river

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

the act or state of bending

round the bend British slang mad; crazy; eccentric

Word Origin for bend

Old English bendan; related to Old Norse benda, Middle High German benden; see bind, band ³

bend

noun

heraldry an ordinary consisting of a diagonal line traversing a shield

Word Origin for bend

Old English bend band ²; see bend 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bend

Old English bendan "to bend a bow; confine with a string, fetter," causative of bindan "to bind," from Proto-Germanic base *band- "string, band" (cf. Old Norse benda "to join, strain, strive, bend"), from PIE root *bhendh- "to bind" (cf. Gothic bindan, Old High German bintan, Sanskrit badhnati "binds," Lithuanian bendras "partner;" Old Persian bandaka- "subject").

Modern sense (early 14c.) is via notion of bending a bow to string it. Cognate with band, bind, and bond. Related: Bended; bent; bending.

n.1

"a bending or curving," 1590s; "thing of bent shape," c.1600, from bend (v.). Earlier "act of drawing a bow" (mid-15c.). The bends "decompression pain" first attested 1894.

n.2

"broad diagonal band in a coat-of-arms, etc.," c.1400, from earlier sense of "thin, flat strap for wrapping round," from Old English bend "fetter, shackle, chain," from PIE *bhendh- (see bend (v.)).

bend in Medicine