| 1. | the act of fastening, securing, uniting, or the like. |
| 2. | anything that binds. |
| 3. | the covering within which the leaves of a book are bound. |
| 4. | a strip of material that protects or decorates the edge of a tablecloth, rug, etc. |
| 5. | Skiing. a mechanical device on a ski, usually made of metal, that fastens the boot securely to the ski. |
| 6. | that binds; restrictive. |
| 7. | having power to bind or oblige; obligatory: a binding promise. |
verb, bound, bind⋅ing, noun | 1. | to fasten or secure with a band or bond. |
| 2. | to encircle with a band or ligature: She bound her hair with a ribbon. |
| 3. | to swathe or bandage (often fol. by up): to bind up one's wounds. |
| 4. | to fasten around; fix in place by girding: They bound his hands behind him. |
| 5. | to tie up (anything, as sheaves of grain). |
| 6. | to cause to cohere: Ice bound the soil. |
| 7. | to unite by any legal or moral tie: to be bound by a contract. |
| 8. | to hold to a particular state, place, employment, etc.: Business kept him bound to the city. |
| 9. | to place under obligation or compulsion (usually used passively): We are bound by good sense to obey the country's laws. |
| 10. | Law. to put under legal obligation, as to keep the peace or appear as a witness (often fol. by over): This action binds them to keep the peace. He was bound over to the grand jury. |
| 11. | to make compulsory or obligatory: to bind the order with a deposit. |
| 12. | to fasten or secure within a cover, as a book: They will bind the new book in leather. |
| 13. | to cover the edge of, as for protection or ornament: to bind a carpet. |
| 14. | (of clothing) to chafe or restrict (the wearer): This shirt binds me under the arms. |
| 15. | Medicine/Medical. to hinder or restrain (the bowels) from their natural operations; constipate. |
| 16. | to indenture as an apprentice (often fol. by out): In his youth his father bound him to a blacksmith. |
| 17. | to become compact or solid; cohere. |
| 18. | to be obligatory: an obligation that binds. |
| 19. | to chafe or restrict, as poorly fitting garments: This jacket binds through the shoulders. |
| 20. | to stick fast, as a drill in a hole. |
| 21. | Falconry. (of a hawk) to grapple or grasp prey firmly in flight. |
| 22. | the act or process of binding; the state or instance of being bound. |
| 23. | something that binds. |
| 24. | Music. a tie, slur, or brace. |
| 25. | Falconry. the act of binding. |
| 26. | Informal. a difficult situation or predicament: This schedule has us in a bind. |
| 27. | bind off, Textiles. to loop (one stitch) over another in making an edge on knitted fabric. |

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