bound

[ bound ]

/ baʊnd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bound ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

simple past tense and past participle of bind.

adjective

tied; in bonds: a bound prisoner.

made fast as if by a band or bond: She is bound to her family.

secured within a cover, as a book.

under a legal or moral obligation: He is bound by the terms of the contract.

destined; sure; certain: It is bound to happen.

determined or resolved: He is bound to go.

Pathology. constipated.

Mathematics. (of a vector) having a specified initial point as well as magnitude and direction. Compare free(def 32).

held with another element, substance, or material in chemical or physical union.

(of a linguistic form) occurring only in combination with other forms, as most affixes. Compare free(def 35).

Idioms for bound

bound up in/with,

inseparably connected with.
devoted or attached to: She is bound up in her teaching.

Origin of bound

past participle and past tense of bind

SYNONYMS FOR bound

5 liable, obligated, obliged, compelled.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bound ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bound

bound·ness, noun

Words nearby bound

bouncer, bouncing, bouncing bet, bouncy, bouncy castle, bound, bound and determined to, bound for, bound form, bound hand and foot, bound to, be

Definition for bound (2 of 7)

bound ²

[ bound ]

/ baʊnd /

verb (used without object)

to move by leaps; leap; jump; spring: The colt bounded through the meadow.

to rebound, as a ball; bounce: The ball bounded against the wall.

noun

a leap onward or upward; jump.

a rebound; bounce.

Origin of bound

1545–55; < Middle French bond a leap, bondir to leap, orig. resound ≪ Vulgar Latin *bombitīre for *bombitāre to buzz, whiz (Latin bomb(us) (see bomb) + -it- intensive suffix + -ā- thematic vowel + -re infinitive suffix)

SYNONYMS FOR bound

1 See skip¹.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bound ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bound

bound·ing·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bound

bind bound

Definition for bound (3 of 7)

bound ³

[ bound ]

/ baʊnd /

noun

Usually bounds. limit or boundary: the bounds of space and time; within the bounds of his estate; within the bounds of reason.

something that limits, confines, or restrains.

bounds,

territories on or near a boundary.
land within boundary lines.

Mathematics. a number greater than or equal to, or less than or equal to, all the numbers in a given set. Compare greatest lower bound, least upper bound, lower bound, upper bound.

verb (used with object)

to limit by or as if by bounds; keep within limits or confines.

to form the boundary or limit of.

to name or list the boundary of.

verb (used without object)

to abut.

Origin of bound

1175–1225; Middle English bounde < Anglo-French; Old French bone, bonde, variant of bodne < Medieval Latin budina, of uncertain origin; cf. bourn²

SYNONYMS FOR bound

1 border, frontier, confine.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bound ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bound

bound·a·ble, adjective

Definition for bound (4 of 7)

bound ⁴

[ bound ]

/ baʊnd /

adjective

going or intending to go; on the way to; destined (usually followed by for): The train is bound for Denver.

Archaic. prepared; ready.

Origin of bound

⁴

1150–1200; Middle English b(o)un ready < Old Norse būinn, past participle of būa to get ready

Definition for bound (5 of 7)

bind

[ bahynd ]

/ baɪnd /

verb (used with object), bound, bind·ing.

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 by up): 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 by over): 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 operations; constipate.

to indenture as an apprentice (often followed by out): In his youth his father bound him to a blacksmith.

verb (used without object), bound, bind·ing.

to become compact or solid; cohere.

to be obligatory: an obligation that binds.

to chafe or restrict, as poorly fitting garments: This jacket binds through the shoulders.

to stick fast, as a drill in a hole.

Falconry. (of a hawk) to grapple or grasp prey firmly in flight.

noun

the act or process of binding; the state or instance of being bound.

something that binds.

Music. a tie, slur, or brace.

Falconry. the act of binding prey in flight.

Informal. a difficult situation or predicament: This schedule has us in a bind.

Verb Phrases

bind off, Textiles. to loop (one stitch) over another in making an edge on knitted fabric.

Origin of bind

before 1000; Middle English binden (v.), Old English bindan; cognate with Old High German bintan, Old Norse binda, Gothic bindan, Sanskrit bandhati (he) binds

SYNONYMS FOR bind

1 gird, attach, tie.

2 confine, restrain.

9 engage, oblige, obligate.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bind ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR bind

1 untie.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR bind ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bind

bind·a·ble, adjective mis·bind, verb, mis·bound, mis·bind·ing. re·bind, verb, re·bound, re·bind·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bind

bind bound

Definition for bound (6 of 7)

-bound ¹

a combining form of bound¹: snowbound.

Definition for bound (7 of 7)

-bound ²

a combining form of bound⁴: eastbound.

Example sentences from the Web for bound

That act forever sealed his feeling for the Chief, bound it up with the war, with violence, with the gun.

The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile |Robert Ward |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Bound together by mutual distrust, both sides end up lashing themselves to the mast of rigid law.

Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans |Philip K. Howard |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
From 2012 to 2013, 31 men left Aarhus bound for combat in Syria.

What the U.S. Can Learn from Europe About Dealing with Terrorists |Scott Beauchamp |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
That is bound to put a dent in public confidence in the police.

Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle |Marlow Stern |December 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Everyone says this is how things were bound to go after Citizens United declared corporations people.

Undo Citizens United? We’d Only Scratch the Surface |Jedediah Purdy |November 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But hindered by the bonds that bound her, she was unable to follow with suppleness the motion of her mount.

The Branding Needle, or The Monastery of Charolles |Eugne Sue
Is Love ours, and do we dream we know it, Bound with all our heart-strings, all our own?

Legends and Lyrics: Second Series |Adelaide Anne Procter
And listening, there comes up to him from the depths faintly, through the tube: "I'm uninjured, but am bound and helpless."

Miss Dividends |Archibald Clavering Gunter
The Cross has broken all the chains which once bound him to earth.

Elijah the Tishbite |C. (Charles) H. (Henry) Mackintosh
In it he placed a long "Extract from my journal," written with care in his beautiful handwriting and bound with a tiny ribbon.

The False Chevalier |William Douw Lighthall

British Dictionary definitions for bound (1 of 5)

bound ¹

/ (baʊnd) /

verb

the past tense and past participle of bind

adjective

in bonds or chains; tied with or as if with a rope a bound prisoner

(in combination) restricted; confined housebound; fogbound

(postpositive , foll by an infinitive) destined; sure; certain it's bound to happen

(postpositive, often foll by by) compelled or obliged to act, behave, or think in a particular way, as by duty, circumstance, or convention

(of a book) secured within a cover or binding to deliver bound books See also half-bound

(postpositive, foll by on) US resolved; determined bound on winning

linguistics

denoting a morpheme, such as the prefix non-, that occurs only as part of another word and not as a separate word in itselfCompare free (def. 21)
(in systemic grammar) denoting a clause that has a nonfinite predicator or that is introduced by a binder, and that occurs only together with a freestanding clauseCompare freestanding

logic (of a variable) occurring within the scope of a quantifier that indicates the degree of generality of the open sentence in which the variable occurs: in (x) (Fx → bxy), x is bound and y is free See free (def. 22)

bound up with closely or inextricably linked with his irritability is bound up with his work

I'll be bound I am sure (something) is true

British Dictionary definitions for bound (2 of 5)

bound ²

/ (baʊnd) /

verb

to move forwards or make (one's way) by leaps or jumps

to bounce; spring away from an impact

noun

a jump upwards or forwards

by leaps and bounds with unexpectedly rapid progess her condition improved by leaps and bounds

a sudden pronounced sense of excitement his heart gave a sudden bound when he saw her

a bounce, as of a ball

Word Origin for bound

C16: from Old French bond a leap, from bondir to jump, resound, from Vulgar Latin bombitīre (unattested) to buzz, hum, from Latin bombus booming sound

British Dictionary definitions for bound (3 of 5)

bound ³

/ (baʊnd) /

verb

(tr) to place restrictions on; limit

(when intr, foll by on) to form a boundary of (an area of land or sea, political or administrative region, etc)

noun

maths

a number which is greater than all the members of a set of numbers (an upper bound), or less than all its members (a lower bound)See also bounded (def. 1)
more generally, an element of an ordered set that has the same ordering relation to all the members of a given subset
whence, an estimate of the extent of some set

See bounds

Word Origin for bound

C13: from Old French bonde, from Medieval Latin bodina, of Gaulish origin

British Dictionary definitions for bound (4 of 5)

bound ⁴

/ (baʊnd) /

adjective

(postpositive, often foll by for) going or intending to go towards; on the way toa ship bound for Jamaica; homeward bound
(in combination)northbound traffic

Word Origin for bound

C13: from Old Norse buinn, past participle of būa to prepare

British Dictionary definitions for bound (5 of 5)

bind

/ (baɪnd) /

verb binds, binding or bound

to make or become fast or secure with or as if with a tie or band

(tr often foll by up) 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

(tr often foll by up) 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

(intr) slang to complain

(tr) logic to bring (a variable) into the scope of an appropriate quantifier See also bound 1 (def. 9)

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 (def. 17)

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

Word Origin for bind

Old English bindan; related to Old Norse binda, Old High German bintan, Latin offendix band ², Sanskrit badhnāti he binds

Scientific definitions for bound

bind

[ bīnd ]

To combine with, form a bond with, or be taken up by a chemical or chemical structure. An enzyme, for example, is structured in such a way as to be able to bind with its substrate.

Idioms and Phrases with bound (1 of 2)

bound

In addition to the idioms beginning with bound

bound and determined to
bound for
bound hand and foot
bound to, be
bound up in

also see:

by leaps and bounds
duty bound
honor bound
out of bounds
within bounds

Also see underbind.

Idioms and Phrases with bound (2 of 2)

bind

In addition to the idioms beginning with bind

bind hand and foot
bind over

also see:

in a bind

Also see underbound.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bound

verb

adjective

Idioms for bound

Origin of bound

SYNONYMS FOR bound

OTHER WORDS FROM bound

Words nearby bound

Definition for bound (2 of 7)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of bound

SYNONYMS FOR bound

OTHER WORDS FROM bound

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bound

Definition for bound (3 of 7)

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of bound

SYNONYMS FOR bound

OTHER WORDS FROM bound

Definition for bound (4 of 7)

adjective

Origin of bound

Definition for bound (5 of 7)

verb (used with object), bound, bind·ing.

verb (used without object), bound, bind·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of bind

SYNONYMS FOR bind

ANTONYMS FOR bind

OTHER WORDS FROM bind

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bind

Definition for bound (6 of 7)

Definition for bound (7 of 7)

Words related to bound

Example sentences from the Web for bound

British Dictionary definitions for bound (1 of 5)

verb

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for bound (2 of 5)

verb

noun

Word Origin for bound

British Dictionary definitions for bound (3 of 5)

verb

noun

Word Origin for bound

British Dictionary definitions for bound (4 of 5)

adjective

Word Origin for bound

British Dictionary definitions for bound (5 of 5)

verb binds, binding or bound

noun

Word Origin for bind

Scientific definitions for bound

Idioms and Phrases with bound (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with bound (2 of 2)