Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense bends, present participle bending, past tense, past participle bent
1. verb
When you bend, you move the top part of your body downwards and forwards. Plants and trees also bend.
I bent over and kissed her cheek. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Turn the pot if the plants show signs of bending towards the light. [VERB adverb/preposition]
She bent and picked up a plastic bucket. [VERB]
She was bent over the sink washing the dishes. [VERB-ed]
2. verb
When you bend your head, you move your head forwards and downwards.
Rick appeared, bending his head a little to clear the top of the door. [VERB noun]
3. verb
When you bend a part of your body such as your arm or leg, or when it bends, you change its position so that it is no longer straight.
These cruel devices are designed to stop prisoners bending their legs. [VERB noun]
As you walk faster, you will find the arms bend naturally and more quickly. [VERB]
bentadjective
Keep your knees slightly bent.
Synonyms: inclination, ability, taste, facility More Synonyms of bend
Synonyms: corrupt, crooked [informal], rotten, shady [informal] More Synonyms of bend
4. verb
If you bend something that is flat or straight, you use force to make it curved or to put anangle in it.
Bend the bar into a horseshoe. [VERB noun preposition]
She'd cut a jagged hole in the tin, bending a knife in the process. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: twist, turn, wind, lean More Synonyms of bend
bentadjective
...a length of bent wire.
Synonyms: inclination, ability, taste, facility More Synonyms of bend
Synonyms: corrupt, crooked [informal], rotten, shady [informal] More Synonyms of bend
5. verb
When a road, beam of light, or other long thin thing bends, or when something bends it, it changes direction to form a curve or angle.
The road bent slightly to the right. [VERB]
Glass bends light of different colours by different amounts. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: wind, turn, twist, arch More Synonyms of bend
6. countable noun
A bend in a road, pipe, or other long thin object is a curve or angle in it.
The crash occurred on a sharp bend.
...an historic town nestling in a bend of the river.
Synonyms: curve, turn, corner, hook More Synonyms of bend
7. verb
If someone bendsto your wishes, they believe or do something different, usually when they do not want to.
Congress has to bend to his will. [VERB + to]
Do you think she's likely to bend on her attitude to Europe? [VERB]
[Also VERB noun]
Synonyms: submit, yield, bow, surrender More Synonyms of bend
8. verb
If you bend rules or laws, you interpret them in a way that allows you to do something they would not normally allow you to do.
A minority of officers were prepared to bend the rules. [VERB noun]
9. verb
If you bend the truth or bend the facts, you say something that is not exactly true.
Sometimes we bend the truth a little in order to spare them the pain of the realfacts. [VERB noun]
10. See also bent, hairpin bend
11.
See to bend over backwards
12.
See drive sb round the bend
13.
See round the bend
14. to bend someone's ear
More Synonyms of bend
bend in British English1
(bɛnd)
verbWord forms: bends, bending or bent
1.
to form or cause to form a curve, as by pushing or pulling
2.
to turn or cause to turn from a particular direction
the road bends left past the church
3. (intr; often foll by down, etc)
to incline the body; stoop; bow
4.
to submit or cause to submit
to bend before superior force
5. (transitive)
to turn or direct (one's eyes, steps, attention, etc)
6. (transitive)
to concentrate (the mind); apply oneself closely
7. (transitive) nautical
to attach or fasten, as a sail to a boom or a line to a cleat
8. bend over backwards
9. bend someone's ear
10. bend the rules
noun
11.
a curved part, as in a road or river
12. nautical
a knot or eye in a line for joining it to another or to an object
13.
the act or state of bending
14. round the bend
Derived forms
bendable (ˈbendable)
adjective
Word origin
Old English bendan; related to Old Norse benda, Middle High German benden; see bind, band3
bend in British English2
(bɛnd)
noun
heraldry
an ordinary consisting of a diagonal line traversing a shield
Word origin
Old English bendband2; see bend1
bend in American English1
(bɛnd)
verb transitiveWord forms: bent or ˈbending
1. Obsolete
to cause tension in (a bow, etc.), as by drawing with a string
2.
to force (an object) into a curved or crooked form, or (back) to its original form, by turning, pulling, pressing, etc.
3.
to turn from a straight line
light rays are bent by refraction
4.
to make submit or give in
to bend another's will to one's wishes
5.
to turn or direct (one's eyes, attention, energy, etc. to)
6.
to cause to have a fixed purpose; determine
used in the passive voice
he was bent on success
7.
to incline or tend (to or toward)
8. Nautical
to attach; fasten
to bend a signal flag onto a halyard
verb intransitive
9.
to turn or be turned from a straight line or from some direction or position
10.
to yield by curving or crooking, as from pressure
11.
to crook or curve the body from a standing position; stoop (over or down)
12.
to give in; yield
he bent to her wishes
13. Archaic
to direct one's attention, energy, etc. (to something)
noun
14.
a bending or being bent
15.
a bent or curving part, as of a river
16. Nautical
a wale
usually used in pl.
SIMILAR WORDS: curve
Idioms:
round the bend
Derived forms
bendable (ˈbendable)
adjective
Word origin
ME benden < OE bendan, to confine with a string (< Gmc *bandjan < *bindan > bind); hence, to fetter, bend (a bow)
bend in American English2
(bɛnd)
noun
1.
any of various knots used to tie one rope to another or to something else
2. Tanning
one half of a trimmed hide
Word origin
ME < bend1
bend in American English3
(bɛnd)
noun
Heraldry
a diagonal stripe or band on a shield from the upper left to the lower right corner (as seen by the viewer)
Word origin
OFr bende: see band1
More idioms containing
bend
bend someone's ear
round the bend
drive someone round the bend
bend over backwards
bend the rules
Examples of 'bend' in a sentence
bend
Now bend your arms so your fingertips touch your shoulders.
The Sun (2016)
Push your hips back and bend your knees until you are as low as you can go.
The Sun (2016)
Now bend through your arms so your fingertips touch the sides of your head.
The Sun (2016)
Bend arm slowly upwards so your hand is touching your shoulder.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Bend your supporting knee slowly, keeping your arms straight.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Ideal conditions will include lack of wind, cool temperatures and a looped course with no sharp bends.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The pair had decided to explore the north of Tenerife and were rounding a bend when they collided with the car.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Driving locals round the bend?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One woman and six men died when the tram derailed after the driver took a sharp bend at more than the maximum 12mph.
The Sun (2016)
Slowly bend your arms to lower your body until your elbows are flexed at right angles.
The Sun (2012)
We had to bend our heads to get inside.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Keep your abs tight and bend your knees.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Underlying the work is the idea that bending visible light around an object will hide it.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Bend the top of a bendy straw and tape it on as a handle.
The Sun (2013)
Under what conditions does the labor supply curve bend backward?
Miller, Roger LeRoy & Fishe, Raymond P. H. Microeconomics: Price Theory in Practice (1995)
In another a figure with long hair bends over a glowing red pool.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They were a canvas down but had the final bend in their favour.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Keep the body straight as you lower your chest to the bench bending your arms.
The Sun (2012)
The landscape is so varied that rounding a bend is like turning a page.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It was just another bend in the road.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It is thought his vehicle tipped on its side after the brakes failed on a sharp bend.
The Sun (2006)
Sit down a little so the right knee bends more.
The Sun (2014)
Our little group walked slowly over to the bend of the river.
Edward Beauclerk Maurice THE LAST OF THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS: Coming of Age in the Arctic (2004)
Slightly bend your knees to avoid putting pressure on your hips.
The Sun (2015)
The twist is that the handle bends round underneath to form a coaster to collect any drips.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There was indeed a bend in the road and a footpath to the right.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
Keep your body upright and bend your front leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor.
The Sun (2013)
Stretch your arms and bend the head back as you breathe in.
Turner, Roger Newman The Hayfever Handbook - a summer survival guide (1988)
Push your hips skywards so that your body is in one line until the bend of the knee.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Reports said the crowd had been told to move from the bend by a steward but returned when he left.
The Sun (2015)
Keeping your abdominal muscles tight, bend your elbows to lower your chest almost to the ground.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
By itself, it is enough to bend and move a heart of stone.
Christianity Today (2000)
Word lists with
bend
heraldry, knot
In other languages
bend
British English: bend /bɛnd/ NOUN
A bend in a road, river, or pipe is a curved part in it.
The crash occurred on a sharp bend.
American English: bend
Arabic: اِلْتِوَاء
Brazilian Portuguese: curva
Chinese: 弯曲
Croatian: zavoj
Czech: ohyb
Danish: kurve
Dutch: bocht kromming
European Spanish: curva
Finnish: mutka
French: virage
German: Biegung
Greek: καμπή
Italian: curva
Japanese: 曲がり
Korean: 굽은 부분
Norwegian: bøyning
Polish: skręt
European Portuguese: curva
Romanian: cot
Russian: изгиб
Latin American Spanish: curva
Swedish: böj
Thai: ทางโค้ง
Turkish: viraj
Ukrainian: вигин
Vietnamese: chỗ cong
British English: bend /bɛnd/ VERB
When you bend, you move the top part of your body downwards and forwards.
I bent over and kissed her cheek.
American English: bend
Arabic: يَثْنِي
Brazilian Portuguese: curvar
Chinese: 弯折
Croatian: nagnuti se
Czech: ohnout (se)
Danish: bøje bukke
Dutch: buigen kromtrekken
European Spanish: inclinarse flexionar
Finnish: taipua
French: plier
German: beugen
Greek: κάμπτω
Italian: chinarsi reflexive verb
Japanese: 曲げる
Korean: 굽히다
Norwegian: bøye
Polish: zgiąć
European Portuguese: curvar
Romanian: a se apleca
Russian: сгибать(ся)
Latin American Spanish: inclinarse plegar
Swedish: böja
Thai: โค้ง
Turkish: kıvrılmak
Ukrainian: згинати(ся)
Vietnamese: uốn cong
All related terms of 'bend'
U-bend
a U-shaped bend in a pipe or drain that traps water in the lower part of the U and prevents the escape of noxious fumes or vapours ; trap
knee-bend
a type of exercise in which the knees are bent in order to strengthen the leg muscles and to make the knees more supple
becket bend
→ sheet bend
bend double
When you bend double , you bend the top half of your body downwards a long way.
hawser bend
a knot for tying two ropes together
sheet bend
a knot used esp for joining ropes of different sizes
South Bend
a city in the US, in N Indiana : university (1842). Pop: 105 540 (2003 est)
bend sinister
a diagonal line bisecting a shield from the top right to the bottom left, typically indicating a bastard line
carrick bend
type of knot
hairpin bend
A hairpin bend or a hairpin is a very sharp bend in a road, where the road turns back in the opposite direction.
expansion bend
a loop in a pipe conveying hot fluid that provides flexibility which takes up thermal expansion and thus reduces temperature-induced stress in the pipe to an acceptable level
bend the knee
to kneel or submit
bend the rules
to do something which is not normally allowed, either to help someone else or for your own advantage
fisherman's bend
a knot used to fasten a rope to an anchor , ring, or spar
round the bend
If you say that someone is round the bend , you mean that they do foolish or silly things.
bend over backward
to try to an unusual degree (to please , pacify , etc.)
bend someone's ear
to keep talking to someone about something, usually in an annoying way
bend over backwards
to try very hard to do something and to help or please someone, even if it causes you trouble
to bend someone's ear
If you say that someone is bending your ear about something, you mean that they keep talking to you about it because they think it is important; used especially when you are irritated by this.
drive sb round the bend
If you say that someone or something drives you round the bend , you mean that you dislike them and they annoy or upset you very much.
to bend over backwards
If you say that someone is bending over backwards to be helpful or kind, you are emphasizing that they are trying very hard to be helpful or kind.
bend the rules/stretch the rules
If someone in authority bends the rules or stretches the rules , they do something even though it is against the rules.
Chinese translation of 'bend'
bend
(bɛnd)
Word forms:ptppbent
vt
[leg, arm, bar, wire]使弯(彎)曲 (shǐ wānqū)
vi
[person]屈身 (qūshēn)
[leg, arm, bar, wire]弯(彎)曲 (wānqū)
[road, river]转(轉)弯(彎) (zhuǎnwān)
n(c)
(in road, river) 弯(彎) (wān) (个(個), gè)
(in pipe) 弯(彎)曲部分 (wānqū bùfen)
to bend the rules变(變)通 (biàntōng)
Derived Forms
bendsn pl : the bends潜(潛)水员(員)病 (qiánshuǐyuánbìng)
1 (verb)
Definition
to form a curve
Bend the bar into a horseshoe.
Synonyms
twist
turn
wind
lean
He leaned forward to take the glass from her.
hook
bow
curve
The track curved away below him.
arch
incline
arc
deflect
His forearm deflected most of the punch.
warp
Rainwater had warped the door's timber.
buckle
A freak wave had buckled the deck.
coil
I turned off the water and began to coil the hose.
flex
He slowly flexed his muscles.
stoop
He stooped to pick up the carrier bag of groceries.
veer
swerve
diverge
contort
His face contorts as he screams out the lyrics.
inflect
incurvate
2 (verb)
Definition
to turn from a particular direction
The road bent slightly to the right.
Synonyms
wind
The Moselle winds through some 160 miles of tranquil countryside.
turn
the corner where our street turns into the main road
twist
The road twists and turns between pleasant little cottages.
arch
the domed ceiling arching overhead
arc
swerve
Drivers swerved to avoid the debris.
3 (verb)
Definition
to submit
Congress has to bend to his will.
Synonyms
submit
If I submitted to their demands, they would not press the allegations.
yield
She yielded to general pressure.
bow
He bowed slightly before taking her bag.
surrender
We'll never surrender to the terrorists.
give in
My parents gave in and let me go to the camp.
give way
I knew he'd give way if I nagged enough.
cede
The General had promised to cede power by January.
capitulate
The club eventually capitulated and granted equal rights to women.
resign yourself
4 (verb)
He's very decisive. You cannot bend him.
Synonyms
force
interrogation techniques which force a confession out of a suspect
direct
influence
The conference influenced us to launch the campaign.
shape
Like it or not, our families shape our lives.
persuade
My husband persuaded me to come.
compel
the introduction of legislation to compel cyclists to wear a helmet
mould
The experience has moulded her personality.
sway
Don't ever be swayed by fashion.
(noun)
Definition
a curved part
The crash occurred on a sharp bend.
Synonyms
curve
a curve in the road
turn
There was a hairpin turn in the road.
corner
He waited until the man had turned the corner.
hook
twist
the twists and turns of the existing track
angle
brackets to adjust the steering wheel's angle
bow
loop
She reached for a loop of garden hose.
arc
The 71 offices are spread out in an arc around London.
zigzag
camber
idioms
See bend over backwards
See round the bend
Additional synonyms
in the sense of angle
Definition
a recess or corner
brackets to adjust the steering wheel's angle
Synonyms
intersection,
point,
edge,
corner,
knee,
bend,
elbow,
crook,
crotch,
nook,
cusp
in the sense of arc
Definition
something curved in shape
The 71 offices are spread out in an arc around London.