bind

[ bahynd ]

/ baɪnd /

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See synonyms for: bind / binding / bound on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), bound, bind·ing.

to fasten or secure with a band or bond.

to encircle with a band or ligature: She bound her hair with a ribbon.

to swathe or bandage (often followed by up): to bind up one's wounds.

to fasten around; fix in place by girding: They bound his hands behind him.

to tie up (anything, as sheaves of grain).

to cause to cohere: Ice bound the soil.

to unite by any legal or moral tie: to be bound by a contract.

to hold to a particular state, place, employment, etc.: Business kept him bound to the city.

to place under obligation or compulsion (usually used passively): We are bound by good sense to obey the country's laws.

Law. to put under legal obligation, as to keep the peace or appear as a witness (often followed by over): This action binds them to keep the peace. He was bound over to the grand jury.

to make compulsory or obligatory: to bind the order with a deposit.

to fasten or secure within a cover, as a book: They will bind the new book in leather.

to cover the edge of, as for protection or ornament: to bind a carpet.

(of clothing) to chafe or restrict (the wearer): This shirt binds me under the arms.

Medicine/Medical. to hinder or restrain (the bowels) from their natural function; constipate.

to indenture as an apprentice (often followed by out): In his youth his father bound him to a blacksmith.

verb (used without object), bound, bind·ing.

to become compact or solid; cohere: The eggs and the flour bind, creating a stable cake.

to be obligatory: It is a duty that binds.

to chafe or restrict, as poorly fitting garments: This jacket binds through the shoulders.

to get stuck or cease to move freely: Overheating made the drill bit bind in the wood.

to temporarily flatten one's breast tissue using compression garments or strips of fabric, often done by gender-diverse people as part of their gender expression: I feel pretty masculine today, so I think I'll bind.

Falconry. (of a hawk) to grapple or grasp prey firmly in flight (usually followed by to): The falcon binds to the pheasant and then carries it to the hunter.

noun

the act or process of binding; the state or instance of being bound.

something that binds.

Informal. a difficult situation or predicament: This schedule has us in a bind.

Music. a tie, slur, or brace.

Falconry. the act of binding to prey in flight.

Verb Phrases

bind off, Knitting. to loop (one stitch) over another in making an edge on knitted fabric.

OTHER WORDS FOR bind

1 attach, fasten, tie.

2 gird, belt, wrap.

9 engage, oblige, obligate.

See synonyms for bind on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR bind

1 loose, loosen, unbind, unfasten, untie.

See antonyms for bind on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bind

First recorded before 1000; Middle English binden (verb), Old English bindan; cognate with Old High German bintan, Old Norse binda, Gothic bindan, Sanskrit bandhati “(he) binds”

OTHER WORDS FROM bind

bind·a·ble, adjectivemis·bind, verb, mis·bound, mis·bind·ing.re·bind, verb, re·bound, re·bind·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bind

bind , bound

Words nearby bind

bination, binational, binaural, Binchois, Binchy, bind, B.Ind.Ed., binder, binder twine, bindery, bind hand and foot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bind in a sentence

This New York Times story suggests that the double bind has a sibling—I’ll call it the motherhood bind.
Do female politicians face a ‘motherhood bind’?|kristenlbellstrom|October 16, 2020|Fortune
The Broadsheet has spent plenty of time covering the “double bind” that women face in the workplace.
Do female politicians face a ‘motherhood bind’?|kristenlbellstrom|October 16, 2020|Fortune
That’s the chicken-and-egg situation that has left indoor farms in a bind the world over until now, Teng points out.
Inside Singapore’s huge bet on vertical farming|Katie McLean|October 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
To accomplish this next stage of capitalism, we must shake ourselves from the binds of a false narrative, the one that pits the interests of stakeholders against the interests of shareholders.
Companies must commit to equal pay to make stakeholder capitalism work|matthewheimer|September 18, 2020|Fortune

Many students are taking Mitsch’s advice, and that’s putting colleges in a bind.
Is School Out Forever?|Daniel Malloy|August 9, 2020|Ozy
By announcing this meeting with such feel-good publicity, they are placing their successors in quite a bind.
Plotting Nicea III Could Be Pope Francis's Masterstroke|Candida Moss|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Escobar's order, Popeye took Mendoza hostage in the warden's house while Escobar tried to figure his way out of the bind.
Pablo Escobar’s Private Prison Is Now Run by Monks for Senior Citizens|Jeff Campagna|June 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its molecules bind to messenger RNA, allowing certain genes to be “turned off.”
Trial Drug Reverses Alzheimer’s Disease in Mice|Elizabeth Lopatto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This has put Ukrainian gay activists and their allies in a bind.
The Closeted Revolution: Kiev’s Gays Keep Quiet to Deny Putin a Propaganda Win|James Kirchick|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finally, Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit.
Full Text of President Obama's Eulogy for Nelson Mandela|The Daily Beast|December 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They have a living faith in the potency of the Horse-Guards, and in the maxim that "Safe bind is sure find."
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He had, however, torn the leg of one of his stockings: so he asked Amy to bind up his wounds.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
Oaths taken in courts of judicature, civil or religious, and the marriage oath, bind the parties in like manner.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
In one word, to the whole worship of God the soul that clings to His Covenant will cordially bind itself in his dread presence.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
There is none to judge thy judgment to bind it up: thou hast no healing medicines.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for bind

bind

/ (baɪnd) /

verb binds, binding or bound

to make or become fast or secure with or as if with a tie or band

(tr often foll by up) to encircle or enclose with a bandto bind the hair

(tr) to place (someone) under obligation; oblige

(tr) to impose legal obligations or duties upon (a person or party to an agreement)

(tr) to make (a bargain, agreement, etc) irrevocable; seal

(tr) to restrain or confine with or as if with ties, as of responsibility or loyalty

(tr) to place under certain constraints; govern

(tr often foll by up) to bandage or swatheto bind a wound

to cohere or stick or cause to cohere or stickegg binds fat and flour

to make or become compact, stiff, or hardfrost binds the earth

(tr) to enclose and fasten (the pages of a book) between covers
(intr) (of a book) to undergo this process

(tr) to provide (a garment, hem, etc) with a border or edging, as for decoration or to prevent fraying

(tr; sometimes foll by out or over) to employ as an apprentice; indenture

(intr) slang to complain

(tr) logic to bring (a variable) into the scope of an appropriate quantifierSee also bound 1 (def. 9)

noun

something that binds

the act of binding or state of being bound

informal a difficult or annoying situation

another word for bine

music another word for tie (def. 17)

mining clay between layers of coal

fencing a pushing movement with the blade made to force one's opponent's sword from one line into another

chess a position in which one player's pawns have a hold on the centre that makes it difficult for the opponent to advance there

Word Origin for bind

Old English bindan; related to Old Norse binda, Old High German bintan, Latin offendix band ², Sanskrit badhnāti he binds

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

Scientific definitions for bind

bind

[ bīnd ]

To combine with, form a bond with, or be taken up by a chemical or chemical structure. An enzyme, for example, is structured in such a way as to be able to bind with its substrate.

Other Idioms and Phrases with bind

bind

In addition to the idioms beginning with bind

bind hand and foot
bind over

also see:

in a bind

Also see underbound.

bind

OTHER WORDS FOR bind

OPPOSITES FOR bind

Origin of bind

OTHER WORDS FROM bind

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bind

Words nearby bind

Words related to bind

How to use bind in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bind

Word Origin for bind

Scientific definitions for bind

Other Idioms and Phrases with bind