bend 1 of 2

1
2
3
as in to aim
to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal bent all of his efforts toward making his first documentary film

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in to curve
to turn away from a straight line or course the stream bends slightly to the east

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
6

bend

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bend
Verb
The Catholic Church in Venezuela bent the rules for the semiaquatic animal, allowing it to be eaten during Lent. Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 Arthropods—whether crabs or cockroaches—developed their own version: joints in their exoskeletons that allow these creatures to bend and scuttle. Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2025
Noun
This phenomenon occurs as sunlight bends and scatters through Earth's atmosphere, casting warm hues onto the lunar surface, according to NASA. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025 Bells Bend Park: In the bend of the Cumberland west of town, Bells Bend Park is a favorite of the folks on the Nashville subreddit. Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bend 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bend
Verb
  • Keeping your torso upright, inhale and arch your back, looking up toward the ceiling.
    Aubrey Bailey, PT, DPT, CHT, Verywell Health, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Adventure pulses through its hidden trails, arching waves, and steaming hot springs.
    Alexandra Gillespie, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • That same year, the museum devoted $820,000 to an institutional rebrand.
    News Desk, Artforum, 24 Jan. 2025
  • There have been plenty of DNPs for Dillingham so far this season, some because coach Chris Finch is devoting more time to veterans to get the team going and some because Dillingham has had to deal with two ankle sprains already this season.
    Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Trump announced a joint venture to fund artificial intelligence infrastructure worth billions of dollars with the leaders of Softbank Group Corp., OpenAI LLC, and Oracle Corp., an effort aimed at speeding development of the emerging technology.
    Jordan Novet, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Love’s recent string of amusing Instagram posts began with one aimed at Herro for his role in the altercation between the Heat and Houston Rockets on Dec. 29.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Al Suave's curving roofs mimic the waves just steps away, while a flowing pool cuts through the property like the creek that divides the two sides of town.
    Natalie Stoclet, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
  • The site sits on the edge of Coffey Park, an unlikely haven in the middle of industrial Brooklyn with its curving walkways and 126 trees.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The movie, named after a popular 1950s song, evoked and distorted the midcentury suburban fantasy.
    Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Trump, who pulled out of his own planned interview with CBS, had alleged CBS had distorted the interview to aid Harris.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Across her chest, Jenner wore a black crossbody bag strap with no visible bag attached.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 Jan. 2025
  • But there are still no emotions attached, no real connection to the person who went through it.
    Susan Young, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • So Newton theorized that, were a cannonball to be fired horizontally from a high enough mountaintop where the air is thin, and with enough velocity, then the curve of the cannonball downward under gravity would match the curvature of Earth.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Jan. 2025
  • The execution here depends on the complex intertwining of software and logistics — the ability to calculate and obtain the precise curvature of each of over 1,500 components, preinstall the steel connections, prebuild large chunks, then ship those to the site for final assembly.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The camera assembly uses a motorized mount that gives you 360 degrees of horizontal panning and 120 degrees of vertical tilt.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Although United have not dominated possession or the attacking third (see field tilt in the table below), their standout statistic this season, as shown below, has been their high pressing intensity.
    Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near bend

Cite this Entry

“Bend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bend. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bend

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!