top definitions
quizzes
related content
examples
explore dictionary
british
medical
scientific
cultural

bond

[ bond ]

/ bɒnd /

noun

something that binds, fastens, confines, or holds together.

a cord, rope, band, or ligament.

something that binds a person or persons to a certain circumstance or line of behavior: the bond of matrimony.

something, as an agreement or friendship, that unites individuals or peoples into a group; covenant: the bond between nations.

binding security; firm assurance: My word is my bond.

a sealed instrument under which a person, corporation, or government guarantees to pay a stated sum of money on or before a specified day.

any written obligation under seal.

Law. a written promise of a surety.

Government. the state of dutiable goods stored without payment of duties or taxes until withdrawn: goods in bond.

Also called bonded whiskey . a whiskey that has been aged at least four years in a bonded warehouse before bottling.

Finance. a certificate of ownership of a specified portion of a debt due to be paid by a government or corporation to an individual holder and usually bearing a fixed rate of interest.

Insurance.

a surety agreement.
the money deposited, or the promissory arrangement entered into, under any such agreement.

a substance that causes particles to adhere; binder.

adhesion between two substances or objects, as concrete and reinforcing strands.

Also called chemical bond .Chemistry. the attraction between atoms in a molecule or crystalline structure.Compare coordinate bond, covalent bond, hydrogen bond, ionic bond, metallic bond.

bond paper.

Masonry.

any of various arrangements of bricks, stones, etc., having a regular pattern and intended to increase the strength or enhance the appearance of a construction.
the overlap of bricks, stones, etc., in a construction so as to increase its strength.

Electricity. an electric conductor placed between adjacent metal parts within a structure, as in a railroad track, aircraft, or house, to prevent the accumulation of static electricity.

Obsolete. bondsman¹.

verb (used with object)

to put (goods, an employee, official, etc.) on or under bond: The company refused to bond a former criminal.

to connect or bind.

Finance. to place a bonded debt on or secure a debt by bonds; mortgage.

to join (two materials).

Masonry. to lay (bricks, stones, etc.) so as to produce a strong construction.

Electricity. to provide with a bond: to bond a railroad track.

to establish a close emotional relationship to or with (another): the special period when a mother bonds to her infant.

verb (used without object)

to hold together or cohere, from or as from being bonded, as bricks in a wall or particles in a mass.

Psychology, Animal Behavior. to establish a bonding.

QUIZZES

GEE WHILLIKERS! WAIT TILL YOU SEE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Do you remember all the words from last week, September 21–27, 2020? Then this quiz should be butyraceous.

Question 1 of 7

What does “yare” mean?

quick; agile; lively.

expressive of or characterized by sorrow.

having or characterized by persistent or earnest desire.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bond

1175–1225; Middle English (noun); variant of band³

SYNONYMS FOR bond

1 bonds, chains, fetters.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bond ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for bond

3. Bond, link, tie agree in referring to a force or influence that unites people. Bond, however, usually emphasizes the strong and enduring quality of affection, whereas tie may refer more especially to duty, obligation, or responsibility: bonds of memory; Blessed be the tie that binds; family ties. A link is a definite connection, though a slighter one; it may indicate affection or merely some traceable influence or desultory communication: a close link between friends.

OTHER WORDS FROM bond

bond·a·ble, adjectivebond·a·bil·i·ty, nounbonder, nounbondless, adjective

un·bond·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby bond

bonaventure, bonavist, bonbon, bonbonnière, bonce, bond, bondage, bonded, bonded warehouse, bonderize, bondholder

Definition for bond (2 of 3)

bond²

[ bond ]

/ bɒnd /

Obsolete

noun

a serf or slave.

adjective

in serfdom or slavery.

Origin of bond

First recorded before 1050; Middle English bonde, Old English bonda, from Old Norse bōndi “farmer” (husbandman,), contraction of unattested bōande, variant of būande, cognate with Old English būend “dweller,” equivalent to bū(an) “to dwell” (see boor) + -end noun suffix, as in fiend, friend

Definition for bond (3 of 3)

Bond

[ bond ]

/ bɒnd /

noun

Car·rie (Min·et·ta)

[kar-ee mi-net-uh] /ˈkær i ˌmɪˈnɛt ə/ Carrie Jacobs-Bond, 1862–1946, U.S. songwriter and author.

Ju·li·an, 1940–2015, U.S. civil rights leader and politician.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bond

The VW offering also marks test of investor appetite for green bonds from borrowers previously marred by environmental issues.
Volkswagen is the latest carmaker to tap the red-hot green-bond market to fund its EV ambitions|Bernhard Warner|September 16, 2020|Fortune
This made the enzyme very efficient at breaking cysteine’s bond to the thiol.
Stinky success: Scientists identify the chemistry of B.O.|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 15, 2020|Science News For Students
It described investors who were supposed to exert power over governments by selling their bonds, or merely threatening to, and thus making deficit-spending more expensive.
America’s $20 trillion debt is getting cheaper as it grows|McKenna Moore|September 12, 2020|Fortune
By bolstering a bond market that had been in freefall, the federal government offered its largest, most rapid and least encumbered relief to large businesses that already had robust cash reserves.
The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save|by Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel|September 12, 2020|ProPublica

The Fed has purchased just $12 billion through its corporate bond programs through the end of August, far short of the $750 billion maximum.
The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That’s Too Small to Save|by Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel|September 12, 2020|ProPublica
Failure to bond to their parents was the prominent reason children were being given away.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marriage is a bond and a commitment—marrying yourself is ridiculous because you are already married to yourself.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement|Tim Teeman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was released within the hour without a bond on his own recognizance.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bond between women and detachable showerheads, after all, is both a marriage of convenience and one of love.
I Tried Cosmo’s New Lesbian Sex Tips|Samantha Allen|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anderson is out on bail after posting 10 percent of a $150,000 bond.
Ohio Elementary School Teacher Charged With Raping Her Son|Nina Strochlic|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dick drove back to Bond Street in great elation, eager for more duels.
The Road to Paris|Robert Neilson Stephens
Under this bond he pledged himself to pay off his liabilities at the rate of £120 a month.
George Morland|Edward D. Cuming
Ansaldo, by means of a bond which he made to a magician, performed her request.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 3 (of 7)|Geoffrey Chaucer
Would you have me indeed, annihilate the memory of the bond between us?
The Caxtons, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
March 1st the Bethia Thayer, with more Peruvian guano, was also released on bond.
Cruise and Captures of the Alabama|Albert M. Goodrich

British Dictionary definitions for bond (1 of 2)

bond

/ (bɒnd) /

noun

something that binds, fastens, or holds together, such as a chain or rope

(often plural) something that brings or holds people together; tiea bond of friendship

(plural) something that restrains or imprisons; captivity or imprisonment

something that governs behaviour; obligation; duty

a written or spoken agreement, esp a promisemarriage bond

adhesive quality or strength

finance a certificate of debt issued in order to raise funds. It carries a fixed rate of interest and is repayable with or without security at a specified future date

law a written acknowledgment of an obligation to pay a sum or to perform a contract

insurance, US and Canadian a policy guaranteeing payment of a stated sum to an employer in compensation for financial losses incurred through illegal or unauthorized acts of an employee

any of various arrangements of bricks or stones in a wall in which they overlap so as to provide strength

See chemical bond

See bond paper

in bond commerce deposited in a bonded warehouse

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to hold or be held together, as by a rope or an adhesive; bind; connect

aeronautics to join (metallic parts of an aircraft) together such that they are electrically interconnected

to put or hold (goods) in bond

law to place under bond

finance to issue bonds on; mortgage

to arrange (bricks, etc) in a bond

Word Origin for bond

C13: from Old Norse band; see band ²

British Dictionary definitions for bond (2 of 2)

Bond

/ (bɒnd) /

noun

Edward . born 1934, British dramatist: his plays, including Saved (1965), Lear (1971), Restoration (1981), and In the Company of Men (1990), are noted for their violent imagery and socialist commitment

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

Medical definitions for bond

bond

[ bŏnd ]

n.

The linkage or force holding two neighboring atoms of a molecule in place and resisting their separation, usually accomplished by the transfer or sharing of one or more electrons or pairs of electrons between the atoms.

Scientific definitions for bond

bond

[ bŏnd ]

A force of attraction that holds atoms or ions together in a molecule or crystal. Bonds are usually created by a transfer or sharing of one or more electrons. There are single, double, and triple bonds. See also coordinate bond covalent bond ionic bond metallic bond polar bond.

Cultural definitions for bond

bond

A security issued by a corporation or public body and usually carrying a fixed rate of interest and a set date, called the bond's maturity, for redemption of the principal. Like a stock, a bond is a type of investment, but unlike a stock, a bond has a definite, but not necessarily fixed, yield. Some bonds have a feature known as a call, which gives the borrower an option to pay off the principal of the bond before its maturity, the date when the bond is due to be redeemed. (See municipal bonds and Treasury bills.)

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

bond