bent

BENT/bɛnt/

Noun pluralbents

20 meanings of bent

Practice

1
adjective
No longer straight because it has been pushed, folded, or pressed out of shape.
Like a paperclip you have twisted out of shape.
The bent nail wouldn't go into the wood.
She straightened the bent spoon as best she could.
Similarcrooked
Oppositestraight
2
verb
Simple past and past participle of bend. Use it for the past, or after has, have, had, is, was or were.
She bent the wire into a circle.
He bent down to tie his shoe.
Note
3
adjectivewith on
Very determined to do something and not willing to stop.
Like a dog that will not let go of a bone.
He was bent on winning the contest no matter what.
They seemed bent on causing trouble all evening.
Similarintent, set
Note
4
nouncountable
A natural skill or liking for doing something.
Like being naturally good at drawing without much practice.
She has a real bent for languages.
His artistic bent showed early in childhood.
Similaraptitude, flair, talent, gift, inclination
Note
5
nouncountable
A natural way of acting or reacting that someone tends to have.
Like always choosing the same path because it feels natural to you.
Her cautious bent made her double-check every decision.
People with an optimistic bent tend to expect the best.
Similardisposition, streak, tendency, inclination
Note
6
adjectivecolloquialUK
Dishonest, especially by taking bribes or breaking the law.
Like a referee who is secretly paid to help one team.
The official turned out to be bent and took bribes for years.
They paid a bent guard to look the other way.
Similarcrooked
Oppositehonest, straight
Note
7
noun
The state of being curved or crooked instead of straight.
Like the curve in a banana instead of a straight stick.
You could see a slight bent in the old metal rod.
The bent of the branch made it droop toward the water.
Similarcurve, curvature, crook
Note
8
nouncountable
The particular direction or way that something tends to go.
Like the way a conversation slowly turns toward one topic.
The talk took a serious bent after the news.
Her writing has a poetic bent.
Similarturn, direction, slant, tendency
Note
9
adjective
Living by breaking the law and doing crime.
Like someone whose whole way of living is breaking the law.
He'd been bent since his teens, in and out of prison.
She refused to go bent like her brothers.
Similarcrooked, criminal
Oppositestraight, honest
10
adjectivederogatorycolloquialUK
An insulting slang word meaning gay or homosexual.
The other kids taunted him at school, calling him bent.
He grew up terrified that someone would call him bent.
Similargay, homosexual, queer
Oppositestraight
Note

bent is a form of bend

bend, verb: To change shape and become curved instead of straight. Full entry

Forms: bendbends he/she/itbending -ing formbent past tense, past participle
Spelling: bend → bent: irregular (no -ed)

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of bent apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–11, 13

This comes from old forms of the English verb "bend." It is really "bend" plus "-t."

Meaning 12

This comes from an old English word for reed or rush. Its origin is not certain.