binding
Americannoun
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the act of fastening, securing, uniting, or the like.
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anything that binds.
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the covering within which the leaves of a book are bound.
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a strip of material that protects or decorates the edge of a tablecloth, rug, etc.
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Skiing. a mechanical device on a ski, usually made of metal, that fastens the boot securely to the ski.
noun
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anything that binds or fastens
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the covering within which the pages of a book are bound
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the material or tape used for binding hems, etc
adjective
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imposing an obligation or duty
a binding promise
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causing hindrance; restrictive
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of binding
Middle English word dating back to 1200–50; see origin at bind, -ing 1, -ing 2
Vocabulary lists containing binding
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.
See Examples For:
Sixty-one years later, on April 29, 2026, Anthony Liuzzo and Americans across the country witnessed six individuals, in one fell swoop, issue a binding opinion in Louisiana v.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
By binding to that location, the tool prevented cancer cells from reaching and shortening the end, or tail, of the molecule.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
That makes a legally binding agreement with the U.S. that doesn’t place Switzerland at a disadvantage compared with the EU all the more important, said Swissmem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The recommendations are not binding, but the FDA historically has given them significant weight.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
She was handsome, wiry, always wearing a wash-print dress and long apron, a clean kerchief binding her hair.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
On view are examples of bulbous book bindings, acid-etched vases, satin capes, parchment-covered cabinets, angular decanters, diamond-decorated cloche hats, geometric malachite brooches, stark bas-reliefs, Brancusi-faced collar ads, and boxy, black-lacquer screens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
Victorian-era publishers used arsenic to colour book bindings, in pigments such as Paris Green, Emerald Green and Scheele's Green, named after a German-born chemist.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2024
They tend to be these lock-and-key receptors, and if we create a different key, we might be able to alter the bindings.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 1, 2023
“We know that cells in the conjunctiva have ACE2 receptors on them — which are the bindings sites for the spike protein on COVID,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 12, 2023
“Oh, that’s much easier, thanks, Ron,” said Luna, and she began hacking at their bindings again.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
