bind

American  

[bahynd] / baɪnd /

verb (used with object)

• binds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bound,
  past participle,  past
• binding
  present participle

1. to fasten or secure with a band or bond.

   Synonyms:

   tie, fasten, attach

   Antonyms:

   untie, unfasten, unbind, loosen, loose

2. to encircle with a band or ligature.

   She bound her hair with a ribbon.

   Synonyms:

   wrap, belt, gird

3. to swathe or bandage (often followed byup ).

   to bind up one's wounds.

4. to fasten around; fix in place by girding.

   They bound his hands behind him.

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

6. to cause to cohere.

   Ice bound the soil.

7. to unite by any legal or moral tie.

   to be bound by a contract.

8. to hold to a particular state, place, employment, etc..

   Business kept him bound to the city.

9. to place under obligation or compulsion (usually used passively).

   We are bound by good sense to obey the country's laws.

   Synonyms:

   obligate, oblige, engage

10. Law. to put under legal obligation, as to keep the peace or appear as a witness (often followed byover ).

    This action binds them to keep the peace. He was bound over to the grand jury.

11. to make compulsory or obligatory.

    to bind the order with a deposit.

12. to fasten or secure within a cover, as a book.

    They will bind the new book in leather.

13. to cover the edge of, as for protection or ornament.

    to bind a carpet.

14. (of clothing) to chafe or restrict (the wearer).

    This shirt binds me under the arms.

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

16. to indenture as an apprentice (often followed byout ).

    In his youth his father bound him to a blacksmith.

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verb (used without object)

• binds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bound,
  past participle,  past
• binding
  present participle

1. to become compact or solid; cohere.

   The eggs and the flour bind, creating a stable cake.

2. to be obligatory.

   It is a duty that binds.

3. to chafe or restrict, as poorly fitting garments.

   This jacket binds through the shoulders.

4. to get stuck or cease to move freely.

   Overheating made the drill bit bind in the wood.

5. 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.

6. Falconry. (of a hawk) to grapple or grasp prey firmly in flight (usually followed byto ).

   The falcon binds to the pheasant and then carries it to the hunter.

noun

• binds
  plural

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

2. something that binds.

3. Informal. a difficult situation or predicament.

   This schedule has us in a bind.

4. Music. a tie, slur, or brace.

5. Falconry. the act of binding to prey in flight.

verb phrase

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

bind British  

/ baɪnd /

verb

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

2. to encircle or enclose with a band

   to bind the hair

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

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

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

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

7. (tr) to place under certain constraints; govern

8. to bandage or swathe

   to bind a wound

9. to cohere or stick or cause to cohere or stick

   egg binds fat and flour

10. to make or become compact, stiff, or hard

    frost binds the earth

11. 1. (tr) to enclose and fasten (the pages of a book) between covers

    2. (intr) (of a book) to undergo this process

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

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

14. slang (intr) to complain

15. (tr) logic to bring (a variable) into the scope of an appropriate quantifier See also bound 1

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noun

1. something that binds

2. the act of binding or state of being bound

3. informal a difficult or annoying situation

4. another word for bine

5. music another word for tie

6. mining clay between layers of coal

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

8. 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

bind Scientific  

/ bīnd /

1. 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.

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bind Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bind

• bound
• in a bind

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misbind
  verb
• rebind
  verb
• bindable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• binds
  plural

Participles

• binding
  present
• bound
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bind
  simple
• binds
  simple
• have bound
  perfect
• has bound
  perfect
• am binding
  progressive
• are binding
  progressive
• is binding
  progressive
• have been binding
  perfect progressive
• has been binding
  perfect progressive

Past

• bound
  simple
• had bound
  perfect
• was binding
  progressive
• were binding
  progressive
• had been binding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bind
  simple
• will have bound
  perfect
• will be binding
  progressive
• will have been binding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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”

Explanation

If you're in a bind, you have been hindered by some situation. You'll find yourself in a bind if you agree to bring dessert to a party, only to realize that you're out of fruit, sugar, and chocolate chips. The verb bind means to tie, secure, or fasten as with string or rope. When you put a Christmas tree on the top of your car, you need to bind it with twine to make sure it stays there while you drive. The past tense of bind is "bound." To bind is also to create an emotional attachment. Your love for your family binds you to them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bind binds bound binding

His government banned its use in federal executions but that did not bind individual states such as Tennessee, which can choose their own methods.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

When former leader Deng Xiaoping toured the U.S. in 1979, eager to bind a reforming China to the West, he famously donned a 10-gallon cowboy hat at a Texas rodeo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Rules followed by American companies are also unlikely to bind foreign rivals, a hostile government, or a clandestine organization.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Those carriers already challenged by the current economic environment, meanwhile, are in a bigger bind.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

When it was dry the mortar would permanently bind the stones together.

From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay

Only through a renewed encounter with Athens, Jerusalem and Rome can we recover the intellectual and moral glue that binds a society together despite technological and cultural changes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The list also reaches into the everyday commerce that binds the two economies, including cheese, seafood and cosmetics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Nothing here binds a future administration, and courts almost never stop the government from disavowing promises its officials had no authority to make.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

The best-known example is hemoglobin, where iron binds dioxygen, meaning two oxygen atoms joined together, so oxygen can be carried through the bloodstream.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

The family prayer binds him to his parents, but what if a person no longer believes in prayer?

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Many of the papers are leading on the passengers who helped prevent a possible plane hijacking of a flight bound for Israel.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

He added that the factions were not bound by any timetable or agreement mentioned by the government or other political parties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

I’m not advocating for speeding, but you’re not bound by the confines of traffic, where you have a stoplight at every block.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

"I mean, with everything that's been going on, with the activity around the air base, something like that is bound to happen," said 21-year-old Victor Compton.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

The ghostly, ghastly Mr. Green nodded politely at Mr. Pinkerton but reminded him that he would be on tomorrow’s eight-o’clock train bound for New Orleans.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

Tech bosses at a White House meeting this week signed a commitment to self-police AI, an accord Trump described as "morally binding."

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

At the end of the process, a binding result would be issued and made public.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin of California signed the consent decree, binding the concessions that Paramount offered to end an antitrust challenge brought by 12 states.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

EU officials issued the binding instructions for Google under the Digital Markets Act, a law that imposes a set of obligations and prohibitions on companies aimed at preserving competition in the bloc.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

She untied a bandanna from her overall strap and wrapped it around his foot, binding it with a second scarf so that it felt secure.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

Related Words

• attach
• connect
• cover
• dress
• handcuff
• restrict
• shackle
• stick
• strap
• tether
• tie up
• unite
• wrap