Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

bound

 - 26 dictionary results

bound

1  [bound]
Use bound in a Sentence
–verb
1. pt. and pp. of bind.
–adjective
2. tied; in bonds: a bound prisoner.
3. made fast as if by a band or bond: She is bound to her family.
4. secured within a cover, as a book.
5. under a legal or moral obligation: He is bound by the terms of the contract.
6. destined; sure; certain: It is bound to happen.
7. determined or resolved: He is bound to go.
8. Pathology. constipated.
9. Mathematics. (of a vector) having a specified initial point as well as magnitude and direction. Compare free (def. 31).
10. held with another element, substance, or material in chemical or physical union.
11. (of a linguistic form) occurring only in combination with other forms, as most affixes. Compare free (def. 34).
—Idiom
12. bound up in or with,
a. inseparably connected with.
b. devoted or attached to: She is bound up in her teaching.
Origin:
ptp. and past tense of bind

Related forms:
boundness, noun

Synonyms:
5. liable, obligated, obliged, compelled.

bound

2  [bound]
–verb (used without object)
1. to move by leaps; leap; jump; spring: The colt bounded through the meadow.
2. to rebound, as a ball; bounce: The ball bounded against the wall.
–noun
3. a leap onward or upward; jump.
4. a rebound; bounce.
Origin:
1545–55; < MF bond a leap, bondir to leap, orig. resound ≪ VL *bombitīre for *bombitāre to buzz, whiz (L bomb(us) (see bomb ) + -it- intensive suffix + -ā- thematic vowel + -re inf. suffix)

Related forms:
bound⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. See skip 1 .

bound

3  [bound]
–noun
1. Usually, bounds. limit or boundary: the bounds of space and time; within the bounds of his estate; within the bounds of reason.
2. something that limits, confines, or restrains.
3. bounds,
a. territories on or near a boundary.
b. land within boundary lines.
4. Mathematics. a number greater than or equal to, or less than or equal to, all the numbers in a given set. Compare greatest lower bound, least upper bound, lower bound, upper bound.
–verb (used with object)
5. to limit by or as if by bounds; keep within limits or confines.
6. to form the boundary or limit of.
7. to name or list the boundaries of.
–verb (used without object)
8. to abut.
—Idiom
9. out of bounds,
a. beyond the official boundaries, prescribed limits, or restricted area: The ball bounced out of bounds.
b. forbidden; prohibited: The park is out of bounds to students.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME bounde < AF; OF bone, bonde, var. of bodne < ML budina, of uncert. orig.; cf. bourn 2

Related forms:
bound⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. border, frontier, confine.

bound

4  [bound]
–adjective
1. going or intending to go; on the way to; destined (usually fol. by for): The train is bound for Denver.
2. Archaic. prepared; ready.
Origin:
1150–1200; ME b(o)un ready < ON būinn, ptp. of būa to get ready

-bound

1 
a combining form of bound 1 : snowbound.

-bound

2 
a combining form of bound 4 : eastbound.

bind

  [bahynd] verb, bound, bind⋅ing, noun
–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 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.
–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.
–noun
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.
—Verb phrase
27. bind off, Textiles. to loop (one stitch) over another in making an edge on knitted fabric.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME binden (v.), OE bindan; c. OHG bintan, ON binda, Goth bindan, Skt bandhati (he) binds

Related forms:
bind⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. gird, attach, tie. 2. confine, restrain. 9. engage, oblige, obligate.

Antonyms:
1. untie.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bound
bind   (bīnd)   
v.   bound (bound), bind·ing, binds

v.   tr.

  1. To tie or secure, as with a rope or cord.

  2. To fasten or wrap by encircling, as with a belt or ribbon.

  3. To bandage: bound up their wounds.

  4. To hold or restrain with or as if with bonds.

  5. To compel, obligate, or unite: bound by a deep sense of duty; bound by a common interest in sports.

  6. Law To place under legal obligation by contract or oath.

  7. To make certain or irrevocable: bind the deal with a down payment.

  8. To apprentice or indenture: was bound out as a servant.

  9. To cause to cohere or stick together in a mass: Bind the dry ingredients with milk and eggs.

  10. To enclose and fasten (a book or other printed material) between covers.

  11. To furnish with an edge or border for protection, reinforcement, or ornamentation.

  12. To constipate.

  13. Chemistry To combine with, form a chemical bond with, or be taken up by, as an enzyme with its substrate.

v.   intr.

  1. To tie up or fasten something.

  2. To stick or become stuck: applied a lubricant to keep the moving parts from binding.

  3. To be uncomfortably tight or restricting, as clothes.

  4. To become compact or solid; cohere.

  5. To be compelling or unifying: the ties that bind.

  6. Chemistry To combine chemically or form a chemical bond.

n.  

    1. The act of binding.

    2. The state of being bound.

    3. Something that binds.

    4. A place where something binds: a bind halfway up the seam of the skirt.

  2. Informal A difficult, restrictive, or unresolvable situation: found themselves in a bind when their car broke down.

  3. Music A tie, slur, or brace.

Phrasal Verb(s):
bind offTo cast off in knitting.
bind over Law To hold on bail or place under bond.

[Middle English binden, from Old English bindan; see bhendh- in Indo-European roots.]
bound 1   (bound)   
intr.v.   bound·ed, bound·ing, bounds

  1. To leap forward or upward; spring.

  2. To progress by forward leaps or springs.

  3. To bounce; rebound.

n.  

  1. A leap; a jump.

  2. A rebound; a bounce.


[French bondir, to bounce, from Old French, to resound, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *bombitīre, from Latin bombitāre, to hum, from bombus, a humming sound, from Greek bombos.]
bound 2   (bound)   
n.  

  1. A boundary; a limit. Often used in the plural: Our joy knew no bounds. Your remarks exceed the bounds of reason.

  2. bounds The territory on, within, or near limiting lines: the bounds of the kingdom.

v.   bound·ed, bound·ing, bounds

v.   tr.

  1. To set a limit to; confine: a high wall that bounded the prison yard; lives that were bounded by poverty.

  2. To constitute the boundary or limit of: a city park that was bounded by busy streets.

  3. To identify the boundaries of; demarcate.

v.   intr.
To border on another place, state, or country.

[Middle English, from Old French bodne, bonde and Anglo-Norman bunde, both from Medieval Latin bodina, of Celtic origin.]
bound 3   (bound)   
v.  Past tense and past participle of bind.
adj.  

  1. Confined by bonds; tied: bound and gagged hostages.

  2. Being under legal or moral obligation: bound by my promise.

  3. Equipped with a cover or binding: bound volumes.

  4. Predetermined; certain: We're bound to be late.

  5. Determined; resolved: She's bound to be mayor.

  6. Linguistics Being a form, especially a morpheme, that cannot stand as an independent word, such as a prefix or suffix.

  7. Constipated.

bound 4   (bound)   
adj.  Headed or intending to head in a specified direction: commuters bound for home; a south-bound train.

[Alteration of Middle English boun, ready, from Old Norse būinn, past participle of būa, to get ready; see bheuə- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
bind

  1. n.
    a problem; a wrinkle. : Unfortunately, a new bind has slowed down the project.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

bind 
O.E. bindan "to tie up with bonds" (lit. and fig.), 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). Bindery first recorded 1810, Amer.Eng.

bound  (v.)
"to leap," 1586, from M.Fr. bondir, from O.Fr. bondir "to leap, rebound, make a noise," originally "to echo back," from V.L. *bombitire "to buzz, hum" (see bomb), perhaps on model of V.L. *tinnitire. Hence bounder (slang, 1889) "would-be stylish person," perhaps from notion of one trying to "bound" into high society, but earliest usage suggests one outside the "bounds" of acceptable socializing.

bound  (adj.1.)
"fastened," c.1360, in fig. sense of "compelled," from bounden, pp. of bind (q.v.). Meaning "under obligation" is from 1470; the literal sense "made fast by tying" is the latest recorded (1552).

bound  (adj.2.)
"ready to go," c.1200, boun, from O.N. buinn pp. of bua "to prepare," also "to dwell," final -d presumably through association with pp. of bind.

bound  (n.)
"limit," c.1205, from Anglo-L. bunda, from O.Fr. bonde, variant of bodne, from M.L. bodina, perhaps from Gaulish. Now chiefly in out of bounds, which originally referred to limits imposed on students at schools. The verb meaning "to form the boundary of" is from 1601. Boundless is from 1592.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: bind
Pronunciation: 'bInd
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: bound /'baund/; bind·ing
1 a : to make responsible for an obligation (as under a contract) bind the insurer —Railroad I. Mehr> b : to burden with an obligation binding their property —J. H. Friedenthal et al.>
2 : to exert control over : constrain by legal authority bound by precedent>
3 : to bring (an insurance policy) into effect by an oral communication or a binder

Main Entry: bound
Function: noun
1 : BOUNDARY —usually used in pl. bounds>
2 : something that limits or restrains bounds of the law>

Main Entry: bound
past and past participle of BIND

Main Entry: bound
Function: transitive verb
: to form the boundary of or enclose bounded on the north by a stone wall>

Main Entry: bound
Function: adjective
: placed under a legal or moral restraint or obligation
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2bind
Function: noun
1 : something that binds
2 : the act of binding : the state of being bound —see DOUBLE BIND

Main Entry: bound
Pronunciation: 'baund
Function: adjective
1 : made costive : CONSTIPATED
2 : held in chemical or physical combination <bound water in a molecule>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

bound

In addition to the idioms beginning with bound, also see by leaps and bounds; duty bound; honor bound; out of bounds; within bounds. Also see under bind.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see bound on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way