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bend

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verb American English pronunciation: bend /bend/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theybend
he/she/itbends
present participlebending
past tensebent
past participlebent
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    [intransitive/transitive] to lean forward and downward, or to move the top part of your body forward and downward

    He bent and kissed her quickly.

    bend forward:

    She bent forward and whispered in my ear.

    bend over:

    Bend over and touch your toes.

    bend down:

    Helen bent down to pick up her pen.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend
    1. a.
      [intransitive/transitive] if you bend your head or if it bends, you move it forward and downward without moving your body downward

      The three of them sat there with their heads bent over their books.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend
  2. 2
    [intransitive] to become curved or folded and not straight

    tools that will not bend or break under stress

    bend under something:

    The slim branches were bending under the weight of their fruit.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend
    1. a.
      [intransitive] to move with a curving or folding movement
      bend in/out/forward etc.:

      The corners of the card bend inward to form tabs.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend
    2. b.
      [intransitive] if a road, river, etc. bends, it changes direction in the shape of a curve

      The path bends sharply just before you enter the wood.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend
    3. c.
      [intransitive] if light bends, it changes direction
      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend
    4. d.
      [transitive] if you bend an object, you change it so that it becomes curved or folded and not straight

      This type of pipe can be easily bent by hand.

      bend something over/around something etc.:

      Bend the wires around the battery.

      bend something into something:

      We bent the strips of clay into strange shapes.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend
    5. e.
      [intransitive/transitive] if you bend your arm, leg, etc., or if it bends, you move it into a position that is not straight

      His arm was so stiff he couldn't bend it at all.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of bend

phrases

This is the American English definition of bend. View British English definition of bend.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

View the pronunciation for bend.

 

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