Library / English Dictionary

BIND

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: bound   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Something that hinders as if with bonds

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("bind" is a kind of...):

balk; baulk; check; deterrent; handicap; hinderance; hindrance; impediment (something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress)

Derivation:

bind (bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to be constipated

Example:

These foods tend to constipate you

Synonyms:

bind; constipate

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

indispose (cause to feel unwell)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

obstipate (constipate severely)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Form a chemical bond with

Example:

The hydrogen binds the oxygen

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to (stick to firmly)

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

ligate (bind chemically)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

binder (something used to bind separate particles together or facilitate adhesion to a surface)

binding (the capacity to attract and hold something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Bind by an obligation; cause to be indebted

Example:

I'll hold you by your promise

Synonyms:

bind; hold; obligate; oblige

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

relate (have or establish a relationship to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

pledge (bind or secure by a pledge)

article (bind by a contract; especially for a training period)

indent; indenture (bind by or as if by indentures, as of an apprentice or servant)

tie down (restrain from independence by an obligation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

bind (something that hinders as if with bonds)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord

Example:

They tied their victim to the chair

Synonyms:

bind; tie

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

lace; lace up (draw through eyes or holes)

band (bind or tie together, as with a band)

lash (bind with a rope, chain, or cord)

knot (tie or fasten into a knot)

strap (tie with a strap)

leash; rope (fasten with a rope)

truss (tie the wings and legs of a bird before cooking it)

lash together (bind together with a cord or rope)

cord (bind or tie with a cord)

loop (fasten or join with a loop)

bind off; tie up (finish the last row)

retie (tie again or anew)

gag; muzzle (tie a gag around someone's mouth in order to silence them)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

bindable (capable of being fastened or secured with a rope or bond)

binder (a machine that cuts grain and binds it in sheaves)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Secure with or as if with ropes

Example:

tie up the old newspapers and bring them to the recycling shed

Synonyms:

bind; tie down; tie up; truss

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

confine; constrain; hold; restrain (to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement)

"Bind" entails doing...:

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

hog-tie (tie together somebody's limbs)

faggot; fagot (fasten together rods of iron in order to heat or weld them)

faggot; faggot up; fagot (bind or tie up in or as if in a faggot)

chain up (tie up with chains)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to bind the prisoners

Derivation:

bindable (capable of being fastened or secured with a rope or bond)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Make fast; tie or secure, with or as if with a rope

Example:

The Chinese would bind the feet of their women

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

attach (cause to be attached)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

swaddle; swathe (wrap in swaddling clothes)

encircle; gird (bind with something round or circular)

cement (make fast as if with cement)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Antonym:

unbind (untie or unfasten)

Derivation:

binder (a machine that cuts grain and binds it in sheaves)

binder (something used to tie or bind)

bindable (capable of being fastened or secured with a rope or bond)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Wrap around with something so as to cover or enclose

Synonyms:

bandage; bind

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

bindable (capable of being fastened or secured with a rope or bond)

binding (the act of applying a bandage)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Provide with a binding

Example:

bind the books in leather

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

rebind (provide with a new binding)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

binder (holds loose papers or magazines)

bindery (a workshop where books are bound)

binding (the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book)

binding (strip sewn over or along an edge for reinforcement or decoration)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Stick to firmly

Example:

Will this wallpaper adhere to the wall?

Synonyms:

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

attach (become attached)

Verb group:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick (come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

bind (form a chemical bond with)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

binder (something used to bind separate particles together or facilitate adhesion to a surface)

binding (the capacity to attract and hold something)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Create social or emotional ties

Example:

The grandparents want to bond with the child

Synonyms:

attach; bind; bond; tie

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "bind" is one way to...):

relate (have or establish a relationship to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bind"):

fixate (attach (oneself) to a person or thing in a neurotic way)

befriend (become friends with)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Credits

 Context examples: 

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced substances that can locate and bind to cancer cells.

(A33, NCI Dictionary)

Round his brow he had a peculiar yellow band, with brownish speckles, which seemed to be bound tightly round his head.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The binding blocks the influx of positively charged potassium ions into the cells, thereby reducing potassium conductance and causing membrane depolarization.

(Meglitinide Antidiabetic Agent, NCI Thesaurus)

MEK-1/MEKK-1 inhibitor E6201 specifically binds to and inhibits the activities of MEK-1 and MEKK-1, which may result in the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation.

(MEK-1/MEKK-1 Inhibitor E6201, NCI Thesaurus)

They bound him with cords, and led him away to the castle.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

APOE binding to HSPG has been implicated as one mechanism that may contribute to the amyloid and tau protein deposits that destroy the brain.

(Unique case of disease resistance reveals possible Alzheimer’s treatment, National Institutes of Health)

More than 90 percent of our planet’s freshwater ice is bound in the massive ice sheets and glaciers of the Antarctic and Greenland.

(The Hidden Meltdown of Greenland, NASA)

Scientists have previously developed nanoparticles that can bind certain types of toxins and neutralize them.

(3-D gel-nanoparticle device detoxifies blood, NIH)

The team found that mAb114 binds to a novel site of vulnerability on the Ebola virus that was previously thought to be unreachable by antibodies.

(Experimental Ebola antibody protects monkeys, NIH)

This hormone binds to and activates melatonin receptors and is involved in regulating the sleep and wake cycles.

(Melatonin, NCI Thesaurus)