- present tense form of bend (3rd person singular).
bends
Britishplural noun
Vocabulary lists containing bends
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.
Observing the Poisson spot provided convincing evidence that light undergoes diffraction, meaning it bends and spreads as it passes around objects or through small openings.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
These kinds of investigations hint at a larger reality in the Ecuadorean province, where modern life bends around an ecosystem so fiercely safeguarded that wildlife effectively holds legal right of way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The pattern gets its name because the jet stream -- a current in the atmosphere that moves air and weather systems from west to east -- bends into a shape resembling the Greek letter.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
This is his magical Sunday where time bends, L.A. traffic doesn’t exist and bellies are never too full.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
With the ringed planet in the background, the glow of the ship leaving Sagan bends in an oval like a firefly, until the light is gone.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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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.