bind

1 of 2

verb

ˈbīnd 

bound ˈbau̇nd  ; binding

transitive verb

1

a

: to make secure by tying

His hands were bound with rope.

b

: to confine, restrain, or restrict as if with bonds

… she was not wholly bound in mind by her middle-class existence

—Delmore Schwartz

c

: to put under an obligation

binds himself with an oath

d

: to constrain with legal authority

The court's decision binds them to pay the fine.

2

a

: to wrap around with something so as to enclose or cover

A silk sash bound her waist.

b

: bandage

bind their wounds

3

: to fasten round about

when wreaths of laurel bound them

4

: to tie together

binding the wheat into sheaves

5

a

: to cause to stick together

tuna and celery bound by mayonnaise

b

: to take up and hold (as by chemical forces) : combine with

cellulose binds water

6

: constipate

Cheese tends to bind him.

7

: to make a firm commitment for

a handshake binds the deal

8

: to protect, strengthen, or decorate by a band or binding

a carpet bound with a gold edging

9

: to apply the parts of the cover to (a book)

10

: to set at work as an apprentice : indenture

He was bound out to a tailor for one year.

11

: to cause to have an emotional attachment

the emotional ties that bind us

12

: to fasten together

a pin bound the ends of the scarf

intransitive verb

1

a

: to form a cohesive mass

A little milk will help the ingredients bind.

b

: to combine or be taken up especially by chemical action

antibody binds to a specific antigen

2

: to hamper free movement or natural action

shorts that are guaranteed not to bind

3

: to become hindered from free operation

Rust caused the door to bind in its frame.

4

: to exert a restraining or compelling effect

a promise that binds

bind

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: something that binds

b

: the act of binding : the state of being bound

c

: a place where binding occurs

2

music : tie sense 3

3

: a position or situation in which one is hampered, constrained, or prevented from free movement or action

got a bind on his opponent

Phrases

in a bind

: in trouble

seem to have gotten myself in a bind

Synonyms

Verb

• chain
• enchain
• enfetter
• fetter
• gyve
• handcuff
• manacle
• pinion
• shackle
• trammel

Noun

• box
• catch-22
• corner
• dilemma
• fix
• hole
• impasse
• jackpot [chiefly West]
• jam
• mire
• pickle
• predicament
• quagmire
• rabbit hole
• rattrap
• spot
• sticky wicket
• swamp

Examples of bind in a Sentence

Verb

She bound her hair in a ponytail.

The machine binds the hay into bales.

He doesn't like to wear clothes that bind.

Noun

It's a real bind having to meet all these deadlines.

with our vacation week fast approaching, and no arrangements for the care of our pets, we were in a serious bind

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

He had been bound with duct tape, and his legs tied with an extension cord. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025

July 17, 1996 A Trans World Airlines flight bound for Paris, France, exploded and crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, N.Y. —Emma Bowman, NPR, 31 Jan. 2025

Noun

But in the global south, the publish-or-perish edict runs up against underdeveloped research infrastructures and education systems, leaving scientists in a bind. —Guillaume Cabanac, The Conversation, 29 Jan. 2025

While uncertainty swirls, Scopa said the new administration could present an opportunity to make the federal fire services more efficient, but says a hiring freeze would put them in a bind, with many critical senior positions unfilled as fires continue to consume large swaths of California. —Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English bindan; akin to Old High German bintan to bind, Greek peisma cable, Sanskrit badhnāti he ties

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bind

• bind off
• bind over
• double bind
• in a bind

Kids Definition

bind

1 of 2 verb

ˈbīnd 

bound ˈbau̇nd  ; binding

1

a

: to fasten by tying

b

: to hold or restrict by force or obligation

bound by an oath

2

: bandage entry 2

bind a wound

3

a

: to stick together

b

: to form a mass that sticks together

c

: to take up and hold (as by chemical forces) : combine with

4

: to make firm or sure

a deposit binds the sale

5

a

: to finish or decorate with a binding

b

: to fasten together and enclose in a cover

bind

2 of 2 noun

: something that binds

Medical Definition

bind

1 of 2 verb

ˈbīnd 

bound ˈbau̇nd  ; binding

transitive verb

1

: to wrap up (an injury) with a cloth : bandage

binding up the gash with clean gauze

2

: to take up and hold usually by chemical forces : combine with

cellulose binds water

3

: to make costive : constipate

intransitive verb

1

a

: to form a cohesive mass

b

: to combine or be taken up especially by chemical action

antibody binds to a specific antigen

2

: to hamper free movement

bind

2 of 2 noun

1

: something that binds

2

: the act of binding : the state of being bound see double bind

Legal Definition

bind

transitive verb

ˈbīnd 

bound ˈbau̇nd  ; binding

1

a

: to make responsible for an obligation (as under a contract)

agents have the power to bind the insurer

—R. I. Mehr

b

: to burden with an obligation

prevented married women from binding their property

—J. H. Friedenthal et al.

2

: to exert control over : constrain by legal authority

this court is bound by precedent

3

: to bring (an insurance policy) into effect by an oral communication or a binder