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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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”

Example Sentences

He bent down, picked up a straw wrapper and disposed of it in the nearest trash can, then kept walking.

From Los Angeles Times

But not all of the artist’s works have a gourmet bent — she also creates celestial goddesses and nature-inspired divas, and made a series devoted to the Major Arcana of tarot.

From Los Angeles Times

Those of a contrarian bent may thus consider a very high ratio is signaling equity investors are too sanguine, while a dive in the ratio may mean they are too pessimistic.

From MarketWatch

For many families, it's a familiar scene: heads bent over glowing screens, conversations half-heard and the outside world slowly slipping into the background.

From BBC

Christoffels was the third and only other employee in the shop, a bent, wizened little man who looked older than Father though actually he was ten years younger.

From Literature