Bend1
/bend
/A city in central Oregon; population 77,181 (est. 2008).
bend2
/bɛnd
/verb (past and past participle bent)
1 [with object] Shape or force (something straight) into a curve or angle: the wire has to be bent back tightly...
- By contrast, steaming and bending the same straight grained piece of wood to the desired shape will result in a much stronger part.
- Shapes were created by bending the hammered bars around angles on the anvil.
- The force of the winds bent their wings, sending them crashing to the ground below.
Synonyms
curve, crook, make crooked, make curved, flex, angle, hook, bow, arc, arch, buckle, warp, contort, distort, deform;
twist, spiral, coil, curl, loop
1.1 [no object] (Of something straight) be shaped or forced into a curve or angle: poppies bending in the wind...
- Even the palm trees bend at a picture-postcard angle.
- A hull plate that has bent into a large curve marks the halfway-back point on the starboard side of the wreck.
- A gun is a black object made of plastic and bent at a right angle.
1.2 [no object, usually with adverbial of direction] (Of a road, river, or path) deviate from a straight line in a specified direction: the road bent left and then right...
- This time, though, we walked in the other direction, and sat on a bench where the river bends dramatically, before finding its way to the Lock.
- Every scene looks as though it is a beautiful painting of a clean and fresh outdoor scene - the river bends at just the right spot, the sun glints off of the water at just the right angle.
- The river bends inwards away from here, and they could have lit a fire and camped with their tents against the cliffs for protection against the winds.
Synonyms
turn, curve, incline, swing, veer, swerve, deviate, diverge, fork, change course;
twist, snake, wind, meander, zigzag, curl, loop
rare divagate, incurvate
2 [no object] (Of a person) incline the body downwards from the vertical: she bent down and yanked out the flex I bent over my plate...
- And then, before I knew it, he had bent down and softly kissed my lips.
- Jason bent over and kissed her on the temple of her forehead.
- With a laugh and a burst of affection, Brian bent down to kiss her.
Synonyms
stoop, bow, crouch, squat, kneel, hunch;
bend down, bend over, lean down, lean over, hunker down, bob down, duck down
North American informal scooch
2.1 [with object] Move (a jointed part of the body) to an angled position: extend your left leg and bend your right...
- He gave a shuddering sigh, and bent his body into a fetal position.
- She bent her body and laid herself on her side above Archie's paper.
- He just stood there for a while, and then bent his massive body over to get the bill when he thought no one was looking.
3Force or be forced to submit: [with object]: they want to bend me to their will [no object]: a refusal to bend to mob rule...
- What is to stop him from forcing us all to bend to his might?
- Would they bend to her willful forces and persuasion?
- I also wouldn't kidnap her against her will and force her to bend to my will.
Synonyms
mould, shape, manipulate, direct, force, press, influence, incline, sway, bias, warp, impress, compel, persuade;
subdue, subjugate
3.1 [with object] Interpret or modify (a rule) to suit someone: we cannot bend the rules, even for Darren...
- They're under the impression that throwing more money at the problem, and trying to bend the laws to suit their needs, will keep them afloat.
- In this epoch of lawlessness, all warring nations have bent the law to suit their interests sometime or another.
- These people… In their desire to get a majority, the rules are bent, the laws broken, institutions are destroyed.
4 [with object] Direct (one’s attention or energies) to a task: Eric bent all his efforts to persuading them to donate some blankets [no object]: she bent once more to the task of diverting her guests...
- With characteristic energy he bent his efforts to the immediate development and improvement of the land, which he converted into a fine farm that he cultivated throughout his remaining days.
- He bent his thoughts to see if he could pick up on Chanet's thoughts.
- With a mental shrug he bent his thoughts to the serious changes lying ahead.
Synonyms
direct, point, aim, turn, train, steer, set
5 [with object] Nautical Attach (a sail or cable) by means of a knot: sailors were bending sails to the spars...
- The main mast top mast was bent to the deck with cordage and sail draping across to starboard.
- With this view we got on board the observatories, the Instruments and bent the sails.
- Saturday, Dave and I finished rigging the boat, raised the mast and bent the sails on.
noun
1A curve in a road, river, path, or racing circuit: the van screeched round a bend a bend in the river...
- So we finished our trip having traversed the distance along the mountain side, by rail or road, the river echoing the bends and curves with a constant murmur that kept us company.
- One day we came round a bend in the river and saw a big boat with a strange flag.
- They rounded a bend in the path and could now see a river up ahead.
Synonyms
curve, turn, corner, kink, angle, arc, crescent, twist, crook, deviation, deflection, loop;
dog-leg, oxbow, zigzag;
British hairpin bend, hairpin turn, hairpin
rare incurvation
2A curved or angled part of something: make a bend in the wire...
- Wire mesh lends itself to gentle curves and sharp bends, so you can use it to construct fences in any configuration you like.
- In the 70°C samples, semicircles and sinusoidal bends are observed.
- Hold the fold and squeeze it for a few seconds to make a bend in the neck.
3A kind of knot used to join two ropes together, or to tie a rope to another object, e.g. a carrick bend.Even so it is a very secure bend and can put up with a good deal of strain and movement. It can also be used to tie a bend with thin line....
- But then I tied a Hunter's Bend and another similar knot, comparing it to the pictures.
- The most important use for the Carrick bend which comes to my mind is the is the joining of two towing lines or anchor cables.
4 (the bends) Decompression sickness, especially in divers.The disease suffered by divers known as the bends (decompression sickness) is an example of the same phenomenon....
- Often called the bends, decompression sickness causes nitrogen bubbles in the tissues of a diver's body when he attempts to surface too rapidly.
- And then you're in the same problem that divers have when they come up from a great depth, the problem of nitrogen bends, decompression sickness.
Phrases
bend someone's ear
bend one's elbow
bend over backwards
on bended knee(s)
round (or around) the bend
Derivatives
bendable
/ adjective ...- By definition, flexible packaging encompasses packages and containers that are more bendable or pliant in their appearance.
- His limbs and fingers were extraordinarily long and bendable, as if made of rubber.
- Neon comes in tubes that are bendable and allow for design flexibility, and has a faster rise-time than traditional rear lights.
Origin
Old English bendan 'put in bonds, tension a bow by means of a string', of Germanic origin; related to band1.
In Old English bendan (of Germanic origin) was ‘put in bonds’ or ‘make a bow taut by means of a string’, leading to an association with the curved shape of the bow.
Rhymes
bend3
/bɛnd/noun Heraldry
An ordinary in the form of a broad diagonal stripe from top left (dexter chief) to bottom right (sinister base) of a shield or part of one.This device of a fountain appears in the arms of the family, where six wells, which form the source of the River Stour appear with a bend on the shield....
- Its own name is of heraldic origin and refers to the three roses in a bend on the shield of the counts of Wasserburg.
- Something bothersome about this particular image is the way in which the bend alternates direction to become a bend sinister.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French bande, Old French bende 'flat strip'.