bind
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to fasten or secure with a band or bond.
-
to encircle with a band or ligature.
She bound her hair with a ribbon.
-
to swathe or bandage (often followed byup ).
to bind up one's wounds.
-
to fasten around; fix in place by girding.
They bound his hands behind him.
-
to tie up (anything, as sheaves of grain).
-
to cause to cohere.
Ice bound the soil.
-
to unite by any legal or moral tie.
to be bound by a contract.
-
to hold to a particular state, place, employment, etc..
Business kept him bound to the city.
-
to place under obligation or compulsion (usually used passively).
We are bound by good sense to obey the country's laws.
-
Law. to put under legal obligation, as to keep the peace or appear as a witness (often followed byover ).
This action binds them to keep the peace. He was bound over to the grand jury.
-
to make compulsory or obligatory.
to bind the order with a deposit.
-
to fasten or secure within a cover, as a book.
They will bind the new book in leather.
-
to cover the edge of, as for protection or ornament.
to bind a carpet.
-
(of clothing) to chafe or restrict (the wearer).
This shirt binds me under the arms.
-
Medicine/Medical. to hinder or restrain (the bowels) from their natural function; constipate.
-
to indenture as an apprentice (often followed byout ).
In his youth his father bound him to a blacksmith.
verb (used without object)
-
to become compact or solid; cohere.
The eggs and the flour bind, creating a stable cake.
-
to be obligatory.
It is a duty that binds.
-
to chafe or restrict, as poorly fitting garments.
This jacket binds through the shoulders.
-
to get stuck or cease to move freely.
Overheating made the drill bit bind in the wood.
-
to temporarily flatten one's breast tissue using compression garments or strips of fabric, often done by gender-diverse people as part of their gender expression.
I feel pretty masculine today, so I think I'll bind.
-
Falconry. (of a hawk) to grapple or grasp prey firmly in flight (usually followed byto ).
The falcon binds to the pheasant and then carries it to the hunter.
noun
-
the act or process of binding; the state or instance of being bound.
-
something that binds.
-
Informal. a difficult situation or predicament.
This schedule has us in a bind.
-
Music. a tie, slur, or brace.
-
Falconry. the act of binding to prey in flight.
verb phrase
verb
-
to make or become fast or secure with or as if with a tie or band
-
to encircle or enclose with a band
to bind the hair
-
(tr) to place (someone) under obligation; oblige
-
(tr) to impose legal obligations or duties upon (a person or party to an agreement)
-
(tr) to make (a bargain, agreement, etc) irrevocable; seal
-
(tr) to restrain or confine with or as if with ties, as of responsibility or loyalty
-
(tr) to place under certain constraints; govern
-
to bandage or swathe
to bind a wound
-
to cohere or stick or cause to cohere or stick
egg binds fat and flour
-
to make or become compact, stiff, or hard
frost binds the earth
-
-
(tr) to enclose and fasten (the pages of a book) between covers
-
(intr) (of a book) to undergo this process
-
-
(tr) to provide (a garment, hem, etc) with a border or edging, as for decoration or to prevent fraying
-
(tr; sometimes foll by out or over) to employ as an apprentice; indenture
-
slang (intr) to complain
-
(tr) logic to bring (a variable) into the scope of an appropriate quantifier See also bound 1
noun
-
something that binds
-
the act of binding or state of being bound
-
informal a difficult or annoying situation
-
another word for bine
-
music another word for tie
-
mining clay between layers of coal
-
fencing a pushing movement with the blade made to force one's opponent's sword from one line into another
-
chess a position in which one player's pawns have a hold on the centre that makes it difficult for the opponent to advance there
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bindsimple
-
bindssimple
-
have boundperfect
-
has boundperfect
-
am bindingprogressive
-
are bindingprogressive
-
is bindingprogressive
-
have been bindingperfect progressive
-
has been bindingperfect progressive
Past
-
boundsimple
-
had boundperfect
-
was bindingprogressive
-
were bindingprogressive
-
had been bindingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bind
First recorded before 1000; Middle English binden (verb), Old English bindan; cognate with Old High German bintan, Old Norse binda, Gothic bindan, Sanskrit bandhati “(he) binds”
Explanation
If you're in a bind, you have been hindered by some situation. You'll find yourself in a bind if you agree to bring dessert to a party, only to realize that you're out of fruit, sugar, and chocolate chips. The verb bind means to tie, secure, or fasten as with string or rope. When you put a Christmas tree on the top of your car, you need to bind it with twine to make sure it stays there while you drive. The past tense of bind is "bound." To bind is also to create an emotional attachment. Your love for your family binds you to them.
Vocabulary lists containing bind
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The researchers found that several compounds in coffee can bind to NR4A1 and alter its activity.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
The film’s merit is not simply in how it illustrates the structures that bind and confine, but in how Wilde propulsively peels them apart to create a picture of romantic neuroses anyone can relate to.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
But the digital currency’s monthslong slump has put Strategy and other crypto-treasury companies in a bind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Thus, it cannot bind individual officers who did not “consent” to be sued for damages.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
My mind, my soul, is greater than anything that can bind me.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
The Ocean of Peace Alliance elevated Fiji to one of Australia's few treaty allies and binds each nation to come to the other's "mutual defence".
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
And, unlike the AD100-approved interior designers and architects that so many Hollywood stars rely on to bring their dream dwellings to life, the tie that binds these A-listers is actually accessible to the average homeowner.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
It also binds both sides to achieving a final deal in a "maximum" of 60 days, which could be extended with mutual consent.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
And that code binds tightest on the men with the most to acknowledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
The flimsy binds were a silly thing to take comfort in—they’d do nothing if Diko's mood soured—but he was subdued, at least for now.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The 25-year-old boarded a boat bound for Malaysia in April, part of a wave of Rohingya refugees attempting dangerous sea crossings that led to a record number of deaths in 2025.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
It also released about 35 percent of the fluorine atoms originally bound within the chemicals, converting them into fluoride salts.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Some may argue that any platform scaling as fast as Letterboxd is bound to go corporate.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Under the proposed terms of the deal, £1m would be loaned to a firm controlled by the prince, which would then be bound to do business exclusively with Cantor Fitzgerald.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“A bit single-minded, though. He only goes in straight lines. That’s bound to get dull, boring, tedious, and uninteresting after a bit.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
That “suggests inference demand is now becoming the binding constraint,” Boloor told MarketWatch in emailed comments.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
The companies said they planned to enter into a binding agreement within three months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Still, many on the pro-Canada side are treating it like a binding vote.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Without anything more binding than a handshake, these loan pools rely on community ties to ensure debts are repaid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The escape instructions, prepared carefully by his MI6 handlers, had been sealed into the hardcover binding of a book.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.