bend

Study(29)

/bɛnd/

verb 5noun 5name 5

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

gentle, slight, wide

hairpin, sharp, tight

The mountain road had several sharp bends that made the drive quite uncomfortable.

dangerous

blind

The car crashed at a blind bend because the driver couldn't see the other vehicle coming.

left-hand, right-hand | final

QUANT

series

The mountain road had a series of sharp bends that made the driver slow down considerably.

VERB + BEND

come round, negotiate, round, take, turn

The car came round the bend too quickly and nearly hit another vehicle.

PREP

around/round a/the ~

The cyclist disappeared around a bend in the mountain road.

into a/the ~

The cyclist leaned forward as she rode into the bend on the mountain road.

off a/the ~

The car lost control as it came off the bend during the race.

on a/the ~

The car skidded on the bend during the rainstorm.

~ in

The road had a sharp bend in it before reaching the small village.

(verb.)

ADV

slightly | quickly, swiftly | backwards, forwards

down, over

She bent over to pick up the baby from the crib.

close, nearer

The teacher bent nearer to the student's desk to check his work.

double

She bent double with laughter when her friend told the funny joke.

PREP

She carefully bent at the knees to pick up her dropped keys from the floor.

towards

The old tree bent towards the sunlight coming through the forest canopy.

Definitions

verb

To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means.

If you bend the pipe too far, it will break.

Don’t bend your knees.

To become curved.

Look at the trees bending in the wind.

To cause to change direction.

Bend thine ear to supplication.

Towards Coventry bend we our course.

To change direction.

The road bends to the right.

To be inclined; to direct itself.

to whom our vows and wishes bend

noun

A curve.

There's a sharp bend in the road ahead.

I hear the train a comin'/It's rolling round the bend

Any of the various knots which join the ends of two lines.

A simpler version of the common bend with its ends in the same direction is used to join binder twine in a hay baling machine.

A severe condition caused by excessively quick decompression, causing bubbles of nitrogen to form in the blood; decompression sickness.

A diver who stays deep for too long must ascend very slowly in order to prevent the bends.

One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base; it generally occupies a fifth part of the shield if uncharged, but if charged one third.

Perhaps the most celebrated coat of arms is that of Scrope, which is Azure a bend Or. This is the coat over which, from 1385 to 1390, Sir Robert le Grosvenor and Sir Richard le Scrope invoked the High Court of Chivalry to decide which of them had the right to bear these arms. Chaucer gave evidence before the court. In the end the arms were awarded to Scrope, and Grosvenor was ordered to difference with a bordure Argent. This he disdained to do, and being highly dissatisfied with the verdict he appealed to Richard II who altered the decision of the court by refusing to allow the bend to Grosvenor at all! Grosvenor then adopted a garb, or sheaf of corn.

Turn; purpose; inclination; ends.

Farewell, poor swain; thou art not for my bend.

name

A ghost town and former railway community in central British Columbia, Canada. Named after a 90-degree curve in the railway line.

A census-designated place in Tehama County, California, United States.

An unincorporated community in Maries County, Missouri, United States.

A city, the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States.

Many locals thought doing so contradicted the democratic spirit of skiing, where strangers sharing a lift chair might include both billionaires with second homes in Bend and ski bums living in vans.

An unincorporated community in Meade County, South Dakota, United States.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.)

curve

noun — movement that causes the formation of a curve

bending

noun — a circular segment of a curve

noun — an angular or rounded shape made by folding

verb — cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form

verb — bend a joint

flex

verb — turn from a straight course, fixed direction, or line of int

deflect

verb — form a curve

flex

verb — bend one's back forward from the waist on down

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

bend over backwards

To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.

They bent over backwards to make sure everything was just right for the visit.

bend someone's ear

To bore; to talk too long, especially to one particular person.

Sorry to bend your ear with the whole story, but I think you ought to know.

round the bend

Crazy, mad or insane.

You're bloody berko, Koko! And who's driving? Manny? He's more round the bend than you!

above one's bend

Beyond one's power or ability.

I shall not attempt to describe the curiosities at Peale's Museum; it is above my bend.

bend one's elbow

To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.

One day is no worse than the next for El Caucho; so it's a whim when he starts bending his elbow or ties one on. When he is really "plastered," El Caucho looks grim, but he isn't r

Example Bank

If you bend the pipe too far, it will break.

Wiktionary

Don’t bend your knees.

Wiktionary

Look at the trees bending in the wind.

Wiktionary

There's a sharp bend in the road ahead.

Wiktionary

I hear the train a comin'/It's rolling round the bend

Wiktionary

I stumbled along through the young pines and huckleberry bushes. Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path that, I cal'lated, might lead to the road I was hunting for. It twisted and turned, and, the f

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, bend is marked as obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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