Bend | Mean of bend in English Dictionary

/ˈbɛnd/

• Verb
• to use force to cause (something, such as a wire or pipe) to become curved
1. bend a wire into a circle
2. bend the cable around a wheel
3. He bent the bow and shot an arrow from it.
4. His glasses got bent when he dropped them.
• to curve out of a straight line or position
1. The road bends [=curves, turns] to the left.
2. The trees were bending in the wind.
3. The branch will bend before it breaks.
4. The branches of the fruit tree were bending under their own weight. [=were bending because they were so heavy]
5. She refused to bend under pressure to change her decision.
6. a politician accused of bending to the will of wealthy supporters [=being influenced by wealthy supporters; doing the things that are wanted by wealthy supporters]
• to move your body so that it is not straight
1. She bent down/over/forward to pick up a piece of paper and then she straightened up again.
2. He bent back to look up at the ceiling.
3. bend to the left and then bend to the right
4. bend at the waist
5. He bent double with pain. [=he bent forward from the waist because he was in extreme pain]

• to move (part of your body, such as an arm or leg) so that it is not straight
1. bend a knee
2. bend a leg
3. bend an arm
4. bend [=tilt] your head
5. He has bent himself [=applied himself] to the task of making the company more efficient and profitable.
6. They are bending their efforts toward completing the job on time.
7. They bent their minds to [=gave a lot of thought to; thought hard about] the problem.
• to not be strict or exact about following a rule
1. She's not really quite old enough to be admitted as a member, but she's very close, so I think we can bend the rule(s) a little in her case and let her in now.
• to talk to someone for a long time
1. He didn't really care about me, he just wanted to bend my ear about his own problems.
• to change facts in a dishonest way in order to deceive people
1. a journalist who has been accused of bending the facts in order to gain support for his political agenda
• to say something that is not true or that misleads people but that is usually not regarded as a serious or harmful lie
1. When he tells people he's from Manhattan he's bending the truth a little since he really grew up in Brooklyn.
• in a kneeling position
1. He proposed to her on bended knee. = He got down on bended knee and proposed to her.
2. He was forced to ask for their help on bended knee. [=he was forced to beg for their help; he was forced to ask for their help in a very humble way]
• Noun
• a curved part of something
1. a bend in a road/stream
2. They live just around/past the next bend (in the road).
3. the graceful bends [=curves] of the stairway
• the act or process of bending something
1. a quick bend of the body
2. knee bends
• a painful and dangerous condition caused by rising to the surface too quickly after being deep underwater
• occurring soon
1. The end of summer is just/right around the bend. [=around the corner]