bent

¹ American  

[bent] / bɛnt /

adjective

1. curved; crooked: a bent stick.

   a bent bow;

   a bent stick.

   Synonyms:

   rounded, hooked

2. determined; set; resolved (usually followed byon ).

   to be bent on buying a new car.

   Synonyms:

   intent

3. Chiefly British Slang.

   1. morally crooked; corrupt.

   2. stolen.

      bent merchandise.

   3. unbalanced or crazy; irrational.

      Man, your take on things is so bent I can hardly follow it.

4. Chiefly British Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. gay.

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noun

1. direction taken, as by one's interests; inclination.

   a bent for painting.

   Synonyms:

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

2. capacity of endurance.

   to work at the top of one's bent.

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

4. Archaic. bent state or form; curvature.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of bend.

idioms

1. bent (out of shape), angry or upset: Also bent up

   I like that you can share your thoughts on stuff and not get bent out of shape if I disagree.

   I don’t know why you’re so bent—I’m just a couple minutes late.

bent ² American  

[bent] / bɛnt /

noun

1. bent grass.

2. a stalk of bent grass.

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

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

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bent ¹ British  

/ bɛnt /

adjective

1. not straight; curved

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

3. slang

   1. dishonest; corrupt

   2. (of goods) stolen

   3. crazy; mad

   4. offensive homosexual

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noun

1. personal inclination, propensity, or aptitude

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

3. civil engineering a framework placed across a structure to stiffen it

bent ² British  

/ bɛnt /

noun

1. short for bent grass

2. a stalk of bent grass

3. archaic any stiff grass or sedge

4. dialect heath or moorland

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Etymology

Origin of bent¹

First recorded in 1350–1400 for the adjective and past tense; past participle of bend ¹

Origin of bent²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; earlier benet-, bunet- (in compounds), Old English beonet-, beonot- (in placenames); cognate with Old High German binuz (compare German Binse ) “the rush plant”

Explanation

If you have a knack or aptitude for doing something, you can say you have a bent for it. Perhaps you have a bent for woodworking, creating fabulous desserts, or writing poetry, you are good at it. The noun bent can also refer to a strong inclination to react to something in a specific manner. If you have a strong scientific bent, you won't be inclined to believe reports of alien spaceship landings and Loch Ness Monster sightings. As an adjective, bent describes someone very determined, and in this case, the word is usually followed by "on." You may be bent on the kids going to bed early, but they may have other ideas: party in the living room!

Example Sentences

Bent on surviving the trip, she decides early to bury her feelings in an impenetrable “garb of stone” and to fashion for herself an imperious personality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"I'm excited for the masterpiece of a song that Jack Black is going to compose for this movie," Andres Bent Solano wrote on Facebook.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

Adrian Cornwell, who runs Bent and Cornwell in Ely, noticed that business had also been quieter this year.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025

Bent Leuchten made two free throws with six seconds left to give UC Irvine a 69-64 lead before North Texas hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2025

When four world-class chess players—Svetozar Gligoric, Bent Larsen, Paul Keres, and Tigran Petrosian—were asked their opinion of who would prevail, all predicted that Reshevsky would be the winner, and by a substantial margin.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady