Skip to main content
to bend

to bend

194 1.0
To lean forward at the waist
  • verb
  • /bɛnd/
translation icon : inclinarse
  • I had to bend my head in order to go through that door.
  • bend over backward

Kneel down, bend over, put on these cat ears.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Bend your knees, bend your knees.

  • OK, all right, with your back to the moon, bend over and look at the moon upside down through your legs.

  • Stay behind, then bend down.

  • Also, I'm trying to bend down at an awful angle.

  • Why don't you bend over?

  • Clark, bend down.

  • Just like I trained you, huh?" She bent down, squinting at his clothing in the blackness.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • As Lainey was putting Sarah back into her carriage, David bent to help Randall into his chair.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Hair falling forward, blending with the flames, Christina bent to touch the cold fire.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I had to bend forward to pick up the coin from the ground.

Synonyms

to lean
vsto bend
418 1.5

To bend or rest at an angle against something

moves the upper part forward and down rather than tilting objects
to hunch
vsto bend
51 4.2

To bend forward and pull the shoulders in so the back rounds

moves the upper part forward and down rather than only pulling shoulders
to stoop
vsto bend
27 2.6

To bend your body forward at the waist

moves only the upper part forward and down from the waist
to slant
vsto bend
25 3.7

To lean or tilt in one direction

moves the upper part forward and down rather than expressing a general slope
to hunch over
vsto bend
17 4.2

Bend forward with rounded shoulders and back

moves the upper part forward and down without implying rounded shoulders
to hunch forward
vsto bend
2 4.4

Bend your upper body forward and round your shoulders, often when you feel cold or tired

moves the upper part forward and down rather than using the whole body
to incline
vsto bend
1 4.4

To bend your head or upper body as a sign of respect

moves the upper part forward and down rather than a brief head gesture
to clin
vsto bend
  • Archaic
9.9

To lean or bend in one direction, often slowly under extra weight

moves the upper part forward and down rather than tilting slowly from pressure

Antonyms

1.0

To be or put something in an upright position

Idioms

24 4.9

To try very hard to help someone or make them happy

To say something that is not exactly what happened to make it look better

To show loyalty and obey a powerful person

to bend your ear
  • Informal
1 7.9

To talk to someone for a long time in a way that annoys them

To become so angry or stressed that you cannot think clearly

around the bend
  • Offensive
1 9.3

To be very confused or act in a strange way

1 8.2

A person who behaves very strangely or does not think clearly

6.9

To be flexible and change to deal with difficult situations

to bend my brain
  • Informal
8.8

To think very hard about something until you feel confused

To drink alcohol with other people in a social place

7.9

Talk to someone for a long time about personal things and often annoy them

Persuade someone to do what you want

To do what someone else wants even if you do not want to

Phrasal Verbs

To allow an exception to a rule to help someone

Compounds

1 3.4

A region in the southwest of Texas shaped by a large bend in the Rio Grande

A large national park in southwest Texas with mountains, desert, deep canyons, and many wild animals

1 3.3

An exercise where you bend your knees to lower and raise your body to make your leg muscles stronger

1 3.7

A very sharp U-shaped turn on a steep mountain road

sheet bend
  • Jargon
1 8.4

A knot used to join one rope to another, even when they are different thicknesses

bend dexter
  • Specialized
9.9

A diagonal band on a shield running from the top right to the bottom left as seen by the bearer

bend sinister
  • Specialized
9.9

A diagonal band on a shield from top right to bottom left often marking a child born outside marriage

becket bend
  • Specialized
9.9

A knot that ties one rope to the middle of another rope or to a loop

7.4

A curve in a road you cannot see around when driving

carrick bend
  • Specialized
9.9

A strong knot used to join the ends of two large ropes often on ships

fisherman's bend
  • Specialized
8.8

A knot used to hold a rope to a ring or pole

hawser bend
  • Specialized
9.9

A strong knot for joining the ends of two thick ropes

How Bent

to prostrate
6 8.1
to stoop
27 2.6
to bend
194 1.0
to bow
132 1.7
to lean
418 1.5

Surface Forms

bend infinitive
bending present participle
bends third person singular
bent past
bent past participle

Etymology

Bend also once meant 'to bow' or 'to lean forward', so to bend your body is to lower or lean your upper body at the waist.