bind

[ bahynd ]

/ baɪnd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bind 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 operations; 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.

to be obligatory: an obligation that binds.

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

to stick fast, as a drill in a hole.

Falconry. (of a hawk) to grapple or grasp prey firmly in flight.

noun

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

something that binds.

Music. a tie, slur, or brace.

Falconry. the act of binding prey in flight.

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

Verb Phrases

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

Nearby words

binaural, binaural alternate loudness balance test, binaural diplacusis, binchois, binchy, bind, bind hand and foot, bind over, binder, binder twine, bindery

Origin of bind

before 1000; Middle English binden (v.), Old English bindan; cognate with Old High German bintan, Old Norse binda, Gothic bindan, Sanskrit bandhati (he) binds

SYNONYMS FOR bind

1 gird, attach, tie.

2 confine, restrain.

9 engage, oblige, obligate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bind ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR bind

1 untie.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR bind ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Can be confused

bind bound

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bind

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
It is precisely the ability of WGA to bind to proteins lining the gut that raises concern amongst medical researchers.
Wheat Threatens All Humans, New Research Shows|David Perlmutter, MD|December 10, 2013|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

“Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit,” Obama said.
Obama Says Goodbye to Mandela|Nico Hines|December 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Failing to induce the Indians to take him, it was decided to try to bind him on his horse and take him along on the hard journey.
A Backward Glance at Eighty|Charles A. Murdock
From this come the laws of justice and sympathy which bind together the nations of the Christian world.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 6 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll
Service such as this, then, finds many to appreciate it and is calculated to bind people closely to us by our good services.
De Officiis|Marcus Tullius Cicero
The ties that bind each to his own family are much stronger than the ties that bind them together.
Ifugao Law|R. F. Burton
In the midst of such dangers as ours the ties that bind should be stronger than under the ordinary course of life.
The Chouans|Honore de Balzac

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

Science 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.

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.