- The old man was bent double under his load.
bent1 bent2 adjectivebent3 noun
bentbent1 /bent/ 
the past tense and past participle of bendbent1 bent2 adjectivebent3 noun
bentbent2 adjective EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A few bent coppers can give the whole police force a bad name.
- Half the inspectors here are bent.
- How did this spoon get bent?
- The hinge was bent and the lid wouldn't shut properly.
- The nail is bent.
- For a full minute he was bent double, like a stricken animal.
- We stand over Tolo's bent form, and point with our cane.
THESAURUS
no longer straight: · The knife was bent in the middle.· a bent nail· She kept her head bent so that Josie couldn’t see her face.
having a bent shape that turns around – used especially when something has been damaged or is old and has lost its natural straight shape: · a twisted tree trunk· All that was left was a pile of twisted metal.· His knee was all twisted.· a twisted ankle
bent in the shape of part of a circle, especially naturally or because something has been made that way: · The bird has a long curved bill.· a curved dagger· The plane’s wings are curved.
bent or twisted into the wrong shape because of heat or dryness: · warped floorboards· The windows are warped and won’t open anymore.
not straight, but bending sharply in one or more places, especially in a way that looks different from normal or does not look right – often used about a part of someone’s body, a path, or a picture: · He had crooked teeth.· her crooked nose and long thin face· The boys at school used to make fun of me because I have a crooked spine.· The picture looks crooked - can you move it up on the left?· a crooked path· the narrow crooked streets of the financial district
having smooth bends in it, usually in a regular pattern – used about hair or lines: · her brown wavy hair· The pictures were separated by a thin wavy line.
Longman Language Activatorwhen something is not straight something that is bent has lost its original shape and is not flat or straight: · The nail was bent.· How did this spoon get bent?· The hinge was bent and the lid wouldn't shut properly.· Stand with your legs slightly bent.
something that is twisted has been bent in many directions so that it has lost its original shape and may be impossible to recognize: · Pieces of twisted metal and rusted pipe lay scattered around the yard.· Investigators sifted through the twisted wreckage of the plane.
a wooden object that is warped has bent and twisted because of heat or dryness, so that it is no longer flat or straight: · The window frames on the front of the house were badly warped.· An old man was sweeping the warped boards of the front porch.
something that is curved has a long, smooth bend in it, usually because it has been made that way: · The knife had a heavy curved blade.· The temple's roof is curved, in the Thai style.· An airplane wing is curved on top and flat on the bottom.
something such as a line, row, pipe, or tree that is crooked is not straight but bends sharply in one or more places: · Smoke rose out of the crooked chimney.· They moved down the narrow crooked streets of the old town.
a line or edge that is wavy has smooth bends in it in a regular pattern: · A series of wavy lines appeared on the video monitor.· The flag's stripes are wavy and alternate in color.
a wiggly line is one that has a lot of small curves in it: · She wrote with large wiggly letters.
dishonest someone who is dishonest tells lies or tries to trick people or steal things: · A few dishonest dealers give the used car trade a bad name.· a dishonest politician· People on welfare are often wrongly characterized as lazy or dishonest.it is dishonest of somebody to do something: · It was dishonest of him to suggest that he actually had a degree from Oxford - he was just there for one term.
a corrupt politician, official, or police officer uses their power in a dishonest way for their own advantage, for example by accepting money from people in return for helping them: · In the 1970s, the city's police force was among the most corrupt in the nation.· Corrupt customs officials have helped the drug trade to flourish.· Perez said that there were virtually no procedures in place to weed out corrupt officials.
someone who is crooked is involved in illegal or dishonest business activities: · A crooked civil servant sold hundreds of British passports on the black market, a court heard yesterday. crooked (business) deal: · The land was obtained in a crooked business deal between politicians and an Arizona savings and loans association.
someone who is involved in dishonest and usually criminal activities, especially someone who gets money by cheating people: · Collins called the governor a crook and said he should be removed from office.
British spoken use this about someone in an official position, who uses their power illegally or dishonestly: · Half the inspectors here are bent.· A few bent coppers can give the whole police force a bad name.
someone who is unscrupulous uses dishonest and unfair methods to get what they want, and does not care if they harm other people: · Isn't it time we did something to protect the elderly from unscrupulous business people?· Morgan admitted that some of his actions may have been unscrupulous, but he denied doing anything illegal.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
He breathed in deeply, bent double in pain (=with the top part of your body leaning forward towards your legs).
He breathed in deeply, bent double in pain (=with the top part of your body leaning forward towards your legs).PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► bent on somethingPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1no longer straight: - Hey, don't get all bent out of shape!
- The old man was bent double under his load.
a bent nail Stand with your knees slightly bent. He breathed in deeply, bent double in pain (=with the top part of your body leaning forward towards your legs). a bent old man (=not standing straight)2bent on something completely determined to do something, especially something bad: a crowd of hooligans bent on violencebe bent on doing something They seemed bent on destroying his career. → hell-bent3 British English informal financially dishonest and willing to use your official position unfairly OPP honest: a bent policeman4 British English informal not polite an insulting word meaning homosexual5bent out of shape American English spoken very angry or upsetTHESAURUSbent no longer straight: · The knife was bent in the middle.· a bent nail· She kept her head bent so that Josie couldn’t see her face.twisted having a bent shape that turns around – used especially when something has been damaged or is old and has lost its natural straight shape: · a twisted tree trunk· All that was left was a pile of twisted metal.· His knee was all twisted.· a twisted anklecurved bent in the shape of part of a circle, especially naturally or because something has been made that way: · The bird has a long curved bill.· a curved dagger· The plane’s wings are curved.warped bent or twisted into the wrong shape because of heat or dryness: · warped floorboards· The windows are warped and won’t open anymore.crooked not straight, but bending sharply in one or more places, especially in a way that looks different from normal or does not look right – often used about a part of someone’s body, a path, or a picture: · He had crooked teeth.· her crooked nose and long thin face· The boys at school used to make fun of me because I have a crooked spine.· The picture looks crooked - can you move it up on the left?· a crooked path· the narrow crooked streets of the financial districtwavy having smooth bends in it, usually in a regular pattern – used about hair or lines: · her brown wavy hair· The pictures were separated by a thin wavy line.bent1 bent2 adjectivebent3 noun
bentbent3 noun [singular] WORD ORIGINbent3
Origin:
1500-1600 bent ‘curve’ (16-19 centuries), from ➔ BEND1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Rebecca has an artistic bent.
- A native Nebraskan and a West Point graduate, Wedemeyer had an intellectual bent and a capacity for strategic thinking.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY readers of a more literary bent
readers of a more literary bentPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
formal special natural skill or interest in a particular areamusical/artistic/literary etc bent- The old man was bent double under his load.
readers of a more literary bent