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
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
-
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 ortoward ).
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.
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Archaic. to strain or brace tensely (often followed byup ).
verb (used without object)
-
bends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bent,
past participle, past
-
bended,
past participle, past (Archaic)
-
bending
present participle
-
to become curved, crooked, or bent.
a bow that bends easily.
-
to assume a bent posture; stoop (often followed byover ).
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.
-
Nautical. bends,
-
thick planking immediately below the waterways of a wooden vessel.
-
the wales of a vessel.
-
-
the bends, aeroembolism.
bend
2
American
[bend]
/ bɛnd /
noun
-
Heraldry.
-
a diagonal band extending from the dexter chief of an escutcheon to the sinister base.
-
in bend, (of a charge) set diagonally or in a diagonal row.
-
-
Tanning. half of a trimmed butt or hide.
Bend
3
American
[bend]
/ bɛnd /
noun
bend
1
British
/ bɛnd /
verb
-
to form or cause to form a curve, as by pushing or pulling
-
to turn or cause to turn from a particular direction
the road bends left past the church
-
(intr; often foll by down, etc) to incline the body; stoop; bow
-
to submit or cause to submit
to 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
-
informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please
he bends over backwards to accommodate his customers
-
informal to speak at length to an unwilling listener, esp to voice one's troubles
-
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
-
slang mad; crazy; eccentric
bend
2
British
/ bɛnd /
noun
bend
More Idioms
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.
- Used in a sentence: I bent over and picked up all of the trash on the ground.
- Used in a sentence: When driving, you need to be careful of sudden bends in the road.
- 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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bendsimple
-
bendssimple
-
have bendedperfect
-
have bentperfect
-
has bendedperfect
-
has bentperfect
-
am bendingprogressive
-
are bendingprogressive
-
is bendingprogressive
-
have been bendingperfect progressive
-
has been bendingperfect progressive
Past
-
bendedsimple
-
bentsimple
-
had bendedperfect
-
had bentperfect
-
was bendingprogressive
-
were bendingprogressive
-
had been bendingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing bend
Civil Engineering
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Engineering - Middle School
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Engineering - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Social media and shortform video have pushed everything from music to documentaries into a race to truncate their lengths and make everything bite-size, in order to bend to the current of algorithm-centric audiences.
From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026
Limbs bend in concerning directions as torsos threaten to fall to the ground; a blanket covers portions of each performer and adds another mysterious layer to these thrilling pas de deux.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Neiden says many attendees try to break the show itself, to push back and see how far its narrative can bend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"My father didn't attend and said he would never bend the knee to anyone. I guess that rubbed off on me," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
But as I was about to learn, life doesn’t bend to you; you bend to it.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Protesters gather in San Antonio, Texas, on Aug. 28 to demonstrate against construction of a border wall in Big Bend National Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The Big Bend sector is the largest and quietest.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
Steffensen, a professor of marine biology at the University of Copenhagen, worked with Peter G. Bushnell, who teaches at Indiana University South Bend, and Richard W. Brill of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Construction equipment and crews at Big Bend were there for survey and design work to help preserve the landscape, he said last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The buildings of the Barrel were different from anywhere else in Ketterdam, bigger, wider, painted in every garish color, clamoring for attention from passersby—the Treasure Chest, the Golden Bend, Weddell’s Riverboat.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
There is the ritual, the way a whole week bends toward the game and then releases.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
The snapping movement generated as the joint bends can be detected by an Arduino and used to count steps.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
To do it, Markovic’s team will look at how dark matter bends the light of hundreds of millions of galaxies to create maps of its structure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
If a CEO bends the rules, he added, “that sends a devastating message to the people inside the organization because it shows that, well, if he can do that, I can do that.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Dr. Martin bends down, runs a hand over his snout.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
"If I was Prime Minister, I would be coming along on my bended knees and asking to be allowed back in," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025
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
Me on bended knee, with a ring I'd emptied my bank account to buy.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2022
With no experience, Creason had to go to collections at UCLA, the Seaver Center and the Huntington, “on bended knee,” to learn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2021
“In fact I’ll go even further. I promise you that if you defeat the snake, I’ll admit I was wrong to that stuffy old cat. I’ll even apologize to him on bended knees, so there!”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The Tiangong Omni swivels its torso wildly from side to side while waving its bent arms in front of its face.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
His squat thighs keep his legs bent for more of the pedal stroke, another wind-resistance advantage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Because of light refraction - light being bent by the atmosphere - there is still light for a time when the Sun is not directly visible.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
We can look at the films he’s made before and since, and see it as yet another example of his satirical bent.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
As small as she was, Anna bent toward the dog, waiting.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
In other words, you can be forever reliant on the universe’s mercy or merciless in bending it to fulfill your ambition.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
In the future, piezoelectric diamond membranes could potentially be used in implantable medical devices as self-generating power sources or as sensors that detect bending and deformation.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Growers are also reporting cucumbers that are coming out misshapen, with some bending back into a spiral.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Even now, Harbaugh made clear he wasn’t bending the rules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Dad said something about a boy who was mean to you in the park yesterday,” Mom says, bending down to examine my completely normal-looking legs.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
