bound and determined to

Idioms

Firmly resolved to, as in He was bound and determined to finish the assignment before taking on another. This phrase is a redundancy used for emphasis, as bound and determined here both mean “resolved to.” Also see bound to.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“He was bound and determined to make sure we were coming out with a lead in that first period.”

From Washington Times • Nov. 12, 2023

“She was bound and determined to get on the property,” he went on.

From New York Times • Sep. 11, 2019

“He was bound and determined to hang on to his company,” Paris said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2018

He spent the first year in the consular section—issuing visas to Saudi students, doing passport work for American citizens—where his boss seemed bound and determined to ruin his career before it could even really begin.

From Slate • Jun. 29, 2018

I thought he was just bound and determined to save me.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023