bind

BYND/baɪnd/

Verbbinds, binding, bound

Noun pluralbinds

21 meanings of bind

Practice

1
tie upverbtransitive
To tie things tightly together, or tie something around something else, with rope, string or a band.
Like wrapping string around a stack of newspapers to hold them together.
She used twine to bind the bundle of letters.
They bound the boxes shut with packing tape.
UsageThe past form is bound: she bound the letters with twine.
Similartie, fasten, lash, strap, secure
Oppositeuntie, loosen, release, unfasten
2
promise or lawverbfigurativelytransitive
To make someone have to do something because of a law, promise or duty, or to hold people together.
Like a promise that ties you to do something, even without any rope.
A promise can bind two friends for life.
The contract binds both sides to keep the deal.
UsageSay bind someone to do something, or bound by a promise.
Similaroblige, obligate, commit, unite, tie
Oppositerelease, free
Note
3
hold backverbtransitive
To hold someone or something in place, or stop them moving freely, by force or some other power.
Like tape holding a box shut so it can't open.
The heavy snow bound us inside the cabin for three days.
Thick ice can bind a ship in the harbor all winter.
Similarrestrain, restrict, limit, check, curb
Oppositefree, release, liberate
Note
4
attach (chemistry)verbtransitive
To stick together, or to make things stick together and form one mass.
Like glue joining two pieces of paper so they hold together.
Heat helps the glue bind the two surfaces.
Certain proteins bind metal atoms inside the cell.
UsageSay A binds B, or B binds to A.
Note
5
fasten pagesverbtransitive
To fasten the pages of a book together inside a cover.
Like gluing all the pages together and adding a cover, the way a book is made.
The workshop teaches you how to bind your own notebooks.
She bound the loose pages into a single volume.
6
tight spotnouncountable
A difficult situation that is hard to get out of.
Like being stuck in mud where every step is hard.
We were in a real bind when the car broke down.
Losing the tickets put them in a tricky bind.
UsageSay in a bind: we were in a bind.
Similarpredicament, trouble, difficulty, jam, fix
7
connectverbtransitive
To join two things together so they act as one.
This app binds your watch to your phone so they work together.
Metal straps bind the two halves of the gate so they swing as one.
Similarcouple, join, link, connect
Oppositeuncouple, detach, separate
8
sew an edgeverbtransitive
To strengthen an edge by sewing a strip or band along it.
Like putting tape along a paper's edge so it doesn't tear.
You can bind the edge of the rug to stop it fraying.
She bound the blanket's hem with satin ribbon.
Similaredge, trim
9
assign valueverbtransitive
To connect a name in a program to a value or place in memory.
Like giving a box a name so you can find what's inside later.
The program will bind each label to a number in memory.
This line of code binds the name x to the number 5.
UsageSay bind a name to a value.
Similarattach
Note

Less common meanings

10
bandageverbtransitive
To wrap a cut or wound with cloth or a bandage.
Like wrapping tape around your finger to cover a cut.
The nurse will bind the wound with a clean cloth.
They bound his sprained ankle before the long walk home.
UsagePeople often say bind up a wound.
Similarbandage, dress
Oppositeunwrap
11
flat chestverbintransitive
To wear a tight garment that flattens the chest to look flat.
Many trans men bind to feel more comfortable in their bodies.
He started to bind before he came out to his friends.
UsageIn careful writing, the past form is bound.
12
jamverbintransitive
To get stuck and stop moving freely, for example because something is rubbing.
Like a zipper that gets stuck on a piece of cloth.
The old drawer binds whenever the wood swells in summer.
The gears bind if you forget to oil them.
Similarstick, jam, seize, catch
Note
13
contract to serveverbtransitive
To make someone legally promise to work or serve another person.
Like signing a paper that makes you promise to work for someone.
The court could bind a young worker to a master for several years.
The contract binds her to five years of service.
UsageSay bind someone to a master or a trade.
Similarindenture
Oppositerelease
Note
14
grip (chess)nouncountable
A strong hold on a game position that the other player finds very hard to break.
Like holding someone's arm so tightly that they cannot pull away.
White had a strong bind on the center, and Black could barely move.
Her opening gave her a bind that the other player never broke.
UsageSay a bind on the center.
Note
15
moanverbdialectalUKintransitive
To complain or moan about something over and over.
"But it's not much good piling up the pix if I can't sell them." "Oh do stop binding. Think of something. How will we eat, where will we sleep?"
1980, Iris Murdoch, Nuns And Soldiers
UsageSay Stop binding! to tell someone to stop complaining.
Similargrumble, moan, whine, gripe, complain
Note
16
verbarchaictransitive
To make it hard for the body to pass waste, as certain foods do.
Note
17
nounrare
Something that ties or holds things together, like a cord or strap.
18
verb
To join pieces of computer code into one program that can run.
19
noundialectal
A climbing or twisting plant or stem, such as the vine that hops grow on.
20
nounrare
A curved line in music that joins notes so they are played as one.
21
noun
Hard clay or rock that lies over a coal seam in a mine.

Practice

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

Origin

This word comes from Old English 'bindan', going back to an ancient root meaning 'to tie'.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The word bind comes from Old English bindan. en.wiktionary.org
The word ultimately derives from an ancient root meaning 'to tie'. en.wiktionary.org