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

Fittingly, for a man so bent on proving himself the greatest of all time, Djokovic paired up with director Jason Hehir, best known for “The Last Dance,” the documentary about Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

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 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

There are no human characters in “Badlands,” only expendable mechanical representatives of a megacorporation bent on bringing the known universe to heel.

From Salon ● Nov. 12, 2025

Certainly I’m no mad exterminator bent on killing devil microbes; on the contrary, I admire them.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver