BEND (bent)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Bend mean? 

• BEND (noun)
  The noun BEND has 6 senses:

1. a circular segment of a curve

2. movement that causes the formation of a curve

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

4. an angular or rounded shape made by folding

5. a town in central Oregon at the eastern foot of the Cascade Range

6. diagonal line traversing a shield from the upper right corner to the lower left

  Familiarity information: BEND used as a noun is common.

• BEND (verb)
  The verb BEND has 6 senses:

1. form a curve

2. change direction

3. cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form

4. bend one's back forward from the waist on down

5. turn from a straight course, fixed direction, or line of interest

6. bend a joint

  Familiarity information: BEND used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BEND (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A circular segment of a curve

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

bend; crook; turn; twist

Context example:

a crook in the path

Hypernyms ("bend" is a kind of...):

curve; curved shape (the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bend"):

bight (a bend or curve (especially in a coastline))

Derivation:

bend (change direction)

bend (form a curve)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Movement that causes the formation of a curve

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

bend; bending

Hypernyms ("bend" is a kind of...):

motion; movement (a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bend"):

deflection; deflexion; refraction (the amount by which a propagating wave is bent)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bend; curve

Hypernyms ("bend" is a kind of...):

section; segment (one of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object)

Domain category:

river (a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bend"):

elbow (a sharp bend in a road or river)

hairpin bend (a U-shaped bend in a road)

blind bend; blind curve (a curve or bend in the road that you cannot see around as you are driving)

Holonyms ("bend" is a part of...):

road; route (an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation)

Derivation:

bend (change direction)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An angular or rounded shape made by folding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

bend; crease; crimp; flexure; fold; plication

Context example:

a bend of his elbow

Hypernyms ("bend" is a kind of...):

angular shape; angularity (a shape having one or more sharp angles)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bend"):

plait; pleat (any of various types of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and then pressing or stitching into shape)

kink; twirl; twist (a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight)

pucker; ruck (an irregular fold in an otherwise even surface (as in cloth))

Derivation:

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

bend (form a curve)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A town in central Oregon at the eastern foot of the Cascade Range

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Instance hypernyms:

town (an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city)

Holonyms ("Bend" is a part of...):

Beaver State; OR; Ore.; Oregon (a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Diagonal line traversing a shield from the upper right corner to the lower left

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

bend; bend dexter

Hypernyms ("bend" is a kind of...):

ordinary ((heraldry) any of several conventional figures used on shields)

• BEND (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Form a curve

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bend; flex

Context example:

The stick does not bend

Hypernyms (to "bend" is one way to...):

change form; change shape; deform (assume a different shape or form)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bend"):

crook; curve (bend or cause to bend)

arc; arch; curve (form an arch or curve)

incurvate (bend inwards)

replicate; retroflex (bend or turn backward)

angle; lean; slant; tilt; tip (to incline or bend from a vertical position)

bend; bow; crouch; stoop (bend one's back forward from the waist on down)

double; double over; double up (bend over or curl up, usually with laughter or pain)

cower; crawl; creep; cringe; fawn; grovel (show submission or fear)

curl; curl up; draw in (shape one's body into a curl)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The glass tubes bend

Antonym:

straighten (straighten up or out; make straight)

Derivation:

bend (a circular segment of a curve)

bend (an angular or rounded shape made by folding)

bendable (capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking)

bender (a tool for bending)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Change direction

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The road bends

Hypernyms (to "bend" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

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

bend (a circular segment of a curve)

bender (a pitch of a baseball that is thrown with spin so that its path curves as it approaches the batter)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

bend; deform; flex; turn; twist

Context example:

the strong man could turn an iron bar

Hypernyms (to "bend" is one way to...):

change form; change shape; deform (assume a different shape or form)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bend"):

crank (bend into the shape of a crank)

convolute; convolve (curl, wind, or twist together)

gnarl (twist into a state of deformity)

incurvate (cause to curve inward)

dent; indent (make a depression into)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They bend the glass tubes

Antonym:

unbend (free from flexure)

Derivation:

bendable (capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking)

bender (a tool for bending)

bend (an angular or rounded shape made by folding)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Bend one's back forward from the waist on down

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bend; bow; crouch; stoop

Context example:

The young man stooped to pick up the girl's purse

Hypernyms (to "bend" is one way to...):

bend; flex (form a curve)

"Bend" entails doing...:

change posture (undergo a change in bodily posture)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bend"):

squinch (crouch down)

cower; huddle (crouch or curl up)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 5

Meaning:

Turn from a straight course, fixed direction, or line of interest

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bend; deflect; turn away

Hypernyms (to "bend" is one way to...):

turn (change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Bend a joint

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

bend; flex

Context example:

bend your knees

Hypernyms (to "bend" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

The HMG-Box Domain binds to and bends the minor groove of the DNA.

(HMG-Box, NCI Thesaurus)

So neither of us looked whilst he bent over her.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) Reach: are you able to bend down and pick up clothing from the floor?

(HAQ-DI - Able to Bend Down and Pick Up Clothing From Floor, NCI Thesaurus)

Human HMGB Family Genes encode abundant DNA-binding and bending HMG-Box Family proteins (with structure, rather than sequence, specificity) that play an architectural role in nucleoprotein assembly.

(HMGB Family Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

The anterior portion of the corpus callosum that bends downward and backward.

(Genu of the Corpus Callosum, NCI Thesaurus)

“Oh, he’ll heave to in a little while and pick them up,” I answered cheerfully. “He’s bent upon giving them a lesson, that’s all.”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Device problems caused by either excessive or inadequate physical force exerted on it by another object resulting in problems e.g. wear, bending, deformation, fracture, fatigue.

(Device Stress Problem Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)

Knees may or may not be bent.

(Fowler's Position, NCI Thesaurus)

Miss Murdstone shut her eyes again, and bent her head.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Other structures of the knee joint include the upper part of the fibula, located below and parallel to the tibia, and the patella which moves as the knee bends.

(Knee Joint, NCI Thesaurus)