DictionaryAI

bound

BOWND/ˈbaʊnd/

Verbbounds, bounding, bounded

Noun pluralbounds

17 meanings of bound

Practice

  1. 1
    tied (past)verb
    Simple past and past participle of bind. Use this form for something that already happened.

    They bound the prisoner's hands with thick rope.

    She bound the cut tightly to stop the bleeding.

    UsageThey bound his hands (from bind). A rabbit bounded away (from the jumping verb).

  2. 2
    sure to happenadjectivewith infinitive
    Sure to happen, or sure to do something.

    With so much rain, the river was bound to flood.

    If you keep practicing, you're bound to get better.

    UsageSay it's bound to happen when you are sure it will.

    Similarsure, certain, destined, likely, fated

    Oppositeunlikely

    Note
  3. 3
    heading foradjective
    Going toward a place, or ready to leave for it.

    The train is bound for Chicago and leaves at noon.

    Homeward bound at last, the sailors began to cheer.

    UsageSay bound for a place: a train bound for Chicago.

    Similarheaded, destined

    Note
  4. 4
    requiredadjectivewith infinitive
    Having to do something because of a duty or promise.

    She felt bound to tell them the whole truth.

    Workers are bound by the terms of their contract.

    UsageSay bound to do something or bound by a rule.

    Similarobliged, obligated, required, compelled, constrained

    Oppositefree, exempt

  5. 5
    form the edgeverbtransitive
    To form the edge around an area of land.

    Tall mountains bound the valley on every side.

    A low stone wall bounded the garden.

    UsageSay bounded by: a garden bounded by a wall.

    Similarborder, enclose, surround, edge, delimit

    Note
  6. 6
    outer limitsnouncountable
    An edge or line that marks where an area of land ends.

    The town's bounds stretch from the river to the hills.

    They lived within the bounds of the ancient city walls.

    UsageSay within the bounds of a place.

    Similarboundary, border, limit, edge

    Note
  7. 7
    confinedadjective
    Not able to leave a place, for example because of illness or bad weather.

    After the surgery she was bound to her bed for weeks.

    Without a car, they were bound to the small village all winter.

    UsagePeople often say housebound or snowbound.

    Similarconfined, restricted, tied

    Oppositefree

    Note
  8. 8
    leapverbintransitive
    To move with big jumps, or to make an animal jump forward.

    Like a rabbit hopping quickly across a field.

    Deer bound easily over the tall fences along the trail.

    The puppy bounded across the yard to greet us.

    UsageSay bounded across or bounded up: the dog bounded up the stairs.

    Similarleap, spring, bounce, jump

    Note
  9. 9
    limit (maths)nouncountable
    A number that marks the highest or lowest limit of a set of values.

    Like a ceiling or a floor that none of the numbers can go past.

    The teacher gave an upper bound for the test scores.

    We found a lower bound for the smallest possible cost.

    Similarlimit

    Note
  10. 10
    set limits (maths)verbtransitive
    To set the highest or lowest limit of a set of values.

    These two numbers bound the range of allowed answers.

    A single constant bounds the size of every term in the list.

    Similarlimit, constrain

    Note

bound is a form of bind

bind, verb: To tie things tightly together, or tie something around something else, with rope, string or a band. Full entry

Forms
bindbinds he/she/itbinding -ing formbound past tense, past participle
Spelling
bind → bound: irregular (no -ed)

Practice

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

Origins

Meanings 1, 4, 7, 14

This form comes from Old English words linked to the verb "bind."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

  • This form derives from Old English forms associated with the verb bind. en.wiktionary.org
Meanings 2–3, 15

This comes from an Old Norse word meaning "to prepare."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

  • Bound ultimately derives from Old Norse búa, meaning 'to prepare', through its past participle búinn. en.wiktionary.org
Meanings 6, 9

This comes through Old French from a Latin word meaning "a limit."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Meanings 5, 10

This comes from the noun "bound."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

Meanings 8, 11–13

This comes from French bondir, meaning "leap," and may go back to a Latin word for a humming sound.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts