bent on

Idioms  

1. Also, bent upon. Determined, resolved, as in Jamie is bent on winning the math prize. This phrase, first recorded in 1762, always uses the past participle of the verb bend in the sense of “tend toward.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bent on

After an initial, glancing chase by a group of indigenous men bent on seizing the whalemen’s clothing and weapons, the survivors landed on the Palauan island of Babeldaob.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

The regular crowd shots of the waiting room too often reduce the afflicted into a zombie-like horde bent on making life more difficult for our beloved medical staff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026

"The future belongs to those who innovate, and Israel and India are bent on innovation," Netanyahu said on Thursday, standing next to Modi.

From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026

Once again, a boy from here teams up with a girl from there to defeat a villainous schemer bent on cruel domination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

Sometimes they took the shapes of humans, and sometimes of snakes or fish or, if they were bent on evil, crocodiles.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer