Nearby Words
verb (used with object)
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 followed by up): to bind up one's wounds.
4.
to fasten around; fix in place by girding: They bound his hands behind him.
5.
EXPANDto 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 followed 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.
COLLAPSEto indenture as an apprentice (often followed by out): In his youth his father bound him to a blacksmith.
verb (used without object)
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.
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Bind up
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
noun
Verb phrase22.
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.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English binden (v.), Old English bindan; cognate with Old High German bintan, Old Norse binda, Gothic bindan, Sanskrit bandhati (he) binds
before 1000; Middle English binden (v.), Old English bindan; cognate with Old High German bintan, Old Norse binda, Gothic bindan, Sanskrit bandhati (he) binds
Related forms
bind·a·ble, adjective
mis·bind, verb, -bound, -bind·ing.
re·bind, verb, -bound, -bind·ing.
Synonyms
1. gird, attach, tie. 2. confine, restrain. 9. engage, oblige, obligate.
1. gird, attach, tie. 2. confine, restrain. 9. engage, oblige, obligate.
Antonyms
1. untie.
1. untie.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To bind up
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
bind
O.E. bindan "to tie up with bonds" (literally and figuratively), also "to make captive; to cover with dressings and bandages" (class III strong verb; past tense band, pp. bunden), from PIE base *bhendh- "to bind" (see bend). A derived noun, in various senses, traces back to
EXPANDlate Anglo-Saxon times; meaning "tight or awkward situation" is from 1851.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
bind  (bīnd) Pronunciation Key
To combine with, form a bond with, or be taken up by a chemical or chemical structure. An enzyme, for example, is structured in such a way as to be able to bind with its substrate. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
bind definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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