bent

[ bent ]

/ bɛnt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

curved; crooked: a bent bow; a bent stick.

determined; set; resolved (usually followed by on): to be bent on buying a new car.

Chiefly British Slang.

morally crooked; corrupt.
stolen: bent merchandise.
homosexual.

noun

direction taken, as by one's interests; inclination: a bent for painting.

capacity of endurance: to work at the top of one's bent.

Civil Engineering. a transverse frame, as of a bridge or an aqueduct, designed to support either vertical or horizontal loads.

Archaic. bent state or form; curvature.

Nearby words

benoît de sainte-maure, bensenville, benson, benson's disease, bensulide, bent, bent grass, bent on, bent out of shape, bentham, bentham, jeremy

Origin of bent

First recorded in 1525–35; orig. past participle of bend¹

SYNONYMS FOR bent

1 bowed, flexed.

2 fixed.

4 tendency, propensity, proclivity, predilection, penchant, partiality, leaning, bias.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bent ON THESAURUS.COM

Definition for bent (2 of 3)

bent

[ bent ]

/ bɛnt /

noun

bent grass.

a stalk of bent grass.

Scot., North England. (formerly) any stiff grass or sedge.

British Dialect. a moor; heath; tract of uncultivated, grassy land, used as a pasture or hunting preserve.

Origin of bent

1300–50; Middle English; earlier benet-, bunet- (in compounds), Old English beonet-, beonot- (in place names); cognate with Old High German binuz (compare German Binse) rush

Definition for bent (3 of 3)

bend

[ bend ]

/ bɛnd /

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).

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

SYNONYMS FOR bend

1 curve, crook, flex, bow.

3 mold, subdue, influence.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bend ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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.

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

Examples from the Web for bent

One detainee was bent over for a rectal feeding that involved Ensure, the protein shake.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon|Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Flagg, too, comes apart in his machinations, bent ever more fully on political domination.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours|James Poulos|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eric Garner was bent over, wrestled down, spread out, and squeezed until he popped.
The Day I Used Eric Garner’s Voice|Joshua DuBois|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I was just like bent over, and he was saying all kinds of dirty stuff,” she said.
Bill Cosby’s Long List of Accusers (So Far): 18 Alleged Sexual Assault Victims Between 1965-2004|Marlow Stern|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He bent the truth throughout his life to ensure that he was known as the man who had invented the lie detector test.
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He drew back a little, first checking to see if the guard was watching, then he bent down and looked into the jar.
The Egyptian Cat Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin
She bent down her head and laid her lips on his hand that was in hers.
The Garden Of Allah|Robert Hichens
He bent his head down to the delicate little face at his side, and his tones were changed.
The Grandchildren of the Ghetto|Israel Zangwill
The visitor called early in the morning of the following day, and found Addie bent over her washtubs in the back yard.
Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves|Work Projects Administration
Each of these was, then, bent on constructing a science out of a simple fact.
The Works of Honor de Balzac|Honor de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for bent (1 of 4)

bent

/ (bɛnt) /

adjective

not straight; curved

(foll by on) fixed (on a course of action); resolved (to); determined (to)

slang

dishonest; corrupt
(of goods) stolen
crazy; mad
British offensive homosexual

noun

personal inclination, propensity, or aptitude

capacity of endurance (esp in the phrase to the top of one's bent)

civil engineering a framework placed across a structure to stiffen it

British Dictionary definitions for bent (2 of 4)

bent

/ (bɛnt) /

noun

short for bent grass

a stalk of bent grass

archaic any stiff grass or sedge

Scot and Northern English dialect heath or moorland

Word Origin for bent

Old English bionot; related to Old Saxon binet, Old High German binuz rush

British Dictionary definitions for bent (3 of 4)

bend

/ (bɛnd) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for bent (4 of 4)

bend

/ (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

Word Origin and History for bent (1 of 6)

bent

n.1

"mental inclination," 1570s, probably from earlier literal sense "condition of being deflected or turned" (1530s), from bent (adj.) "not straight" (q.v.).

Word Origin and History for bent (1 of 6)

bent

n.2

"stiff grass," Old English beonet, from West Germanic *binut- "rush, marsh grass" (cf. Old Saxon binet, Old High German binuz, German Binse "rush, reed"), of unknown origin. An obsolete word, but surviving in place names (cf. Bentley, from Old English Beonet-leah; Bentham).

Word Origin and History for bent (2 of 6)

bent

adj.

"not straight," late 14c. (earlier ibent, c.1300, from past participle of bend (v.). Meaning "turned or inclined in some direction" is from 1530s, probably as a translation of Latin inclinatio. Meaning "directed in a course" is from 1690s. Figurative phrase bent out of shape "extremely upset" is 1960s U.S. Air Force and college student slang.

Word Origin and History for bent (3 of 6)

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.

Word Origin and History for bent (4 of 6)

bend

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.

Word Origin and History for bent (5 of 6)

bend

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.)).

Medicine definitions for bent

bend

[ bĕnd ]

v.

To incline the body; stoop.

Idioms and Phrases with bent

bend

In addition to the idioms beginning with bend

bend one's elbow
bend over backwards
bend someone's ear

also see:

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

Also see underbent.

bent

adjective

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of bent

Definition for bent (2 of 3)

bent

noun

Origin of bent

Definition for bent (3 of 3)

bend

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

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

noun

Origin of bend

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for bent

British Dictionary definitions for bent (1 of 4)

bent

adjective

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bent (2 of 4)

bent

noun

Word Origin for bent

British Dictionary definitions for bent (3 of 4)

bend

verb bends, bending or bent

noun

Word Origin for bend

British Dictionary definitions for bent (4 of 4)

bend

noun

Word Origin for bend

Word Origin and History for bent (1 of 6)

bent

Word Origin and History for bent (1 of 6)

bent

Word Origin and History for bent (2 of 6)

bent

Word Origin and History for bent (3 of 6)

bend

Word Origin and History for bent (4 of 6)

bend

Word Origin and History for bent (5 of 6)

bend

Medicine definitions for bent

bend

v.

Idioms and Phrases with bent

bend