Bends
see synonyms of bends
v. bent(bĕnt), bend·ing, bends
v. tr. 1. a. To cause to assume a curved or angular shape: bend a piece of iron into a horseshoe.
b. To bring (a bow, for example) into a state of tension by drawing on a string or line.
c. To force to assume a different direction or shape, according to one's own purpose: “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events” (Robert F. Kennedy).
d. To misrepresent; distort: bend the truth.
e. To relax or make an exception to: bend a rule to allow more members into the club.
2. To cause to swerve from a straight line; deflect: Light is bent as it passes through water.
3. To render submissive; subdue: “[His] words so often bewitched crowds and bent them to his will” (W. Bruce Lincoln).
4. To apply (the mind) closely: “The weary naval officer goes to bed at night having bent his brain all day to a scheme of victory” (Jack Beatty).
5. Nautical To fasten: bend a mainsail onto the boom.
v. intr. 1. a. To deviate from a straight line or position: The lane bends to the right at the bridge.
b. To assume a curved, crooked, or angular form or direction: The saplings bent in the wind.
2. To incline the body; stoop.
3. To make a concession; yield.
4. To apply oneself closely; concentrate: She bent to her task.
n. 1. a. The act or fact of bending.
b. The state of being bent.
2. Something bent: a bend in the road.
3. Nautical a. A knot that joins a rope to a rope or another object.
b. bends The thick planks in a ship's side; wales.
4. bends (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Decompression sickness. Used with the.
n. Heraldry A band passing from the upper dexter corner of an escutcheon to the lower sinister corner.
The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.