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bend

1
[ bend ]
/ bɛnd /
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verb (used with object), bent or (Archaic) bend·ed; bend·ing.
verb (used without object), bent or (Archaic) bend·ed; bend·ing.
noun
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Idioms about bend

    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

1
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 band3

synonym study for bend

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM bend

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

Other definitions for bend (2 of 3)

bend2
[ bend ]
/ bɛnd /

noun
Heraldry.
  1. a diagonal band extending from the dexter chief of an escutcheon to the sinister base.Compare bend sinister.
  2. in bend, (of a charge) set diagonally or in a diagonal row.
Tanning. half of a trimmed butt or hide.

Origin of bend

2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English adjective bende; blend of Old English bend “band, fetter” and Middle French bende (Medieval Latin benda, binda ); see band2, band3

Other definitions for bend (3 of 3)

Bend
[ bend ]
/ bɛnd /

noun
a city in central Oregon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bend in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bend (1 of 2)

bend1
/ (bɛnd) /

verb bends, bending or bent
noun
See also bends

Derived forms of bend

bendable, adjective

Word Origin for bend

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

British Dictionary definitions for bend (2 of 2)

bend2
/ (bɛnd) /

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with bend

bend

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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