bend

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To bring (something) into a state of tension: bend a bow.
2. v. To cause to assume a curved or angular shape: bend a piece of iron into a horseshoe.
3. v. To force to assume a different direction or shape, according to one's own purpose: "Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events” ( Robert F. Kennedy).
4. v. To misrepresent; distort: bend the truth.
5. v. To relax or make an exception to: bend a rule to allow more members into the club.
6. v. To cause to swerve from a straight line; deflect.
7. v. To render submissive; subdue.
8. v. To apply (the mind) closely: "The weary naval officer goes to bed at night having bent his brain all day to a scheme of victory” ( Jack Beatty).
9. v. Nautical To fasten: bend a mainsail onto the boom.
10. v. To deviate from a straight line or position: The lane bends to the right at the bridge.
11. v. To assume a curved, crooked, or angular form or direction: The saplings bent in the wind.
12. v. To incline the body; stoop.
13. v. To make a concession; yield.
14. v. To apply oneself closely; concentrate: She bent to her task.
15. n. The act or fact of bending.
16. n. The state of being bent.
17. n. Something bent: a bend in the road.
18. n. Nautical The thick planks in a ship's side; wales.
19. n. Decompression sickness. Used with the.
20. idiom. around the bend Slang Insane; crazy.
21. idiom. bend (one's) elbow Slang To drink alcoholic beverages.
22. idiom. bend out of shape Slang To annoy or anger.
23. idiom. bend To make an effort greater than is required.
24. idiom. bend (someone's) ear Slang To talk to at length, usually excessively.
25. n. Heraldry A band passing from the upper dexter corner of an escutcheon to the lower sinister corner.
26. n. Nautical A knot that joins a rope to a rope or another object.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A band; a bond; a fetter; in plural, bands; bonds; confinement.
2. n. A band or clamp of metal or other material used to strengthen or hold together a box or frame.
3. n. Nautical: That part of a rope which is fastened to another or to an anchor.
4. n. A knot by which a rope is fastened to another rope or to something else. The different sorts are distinguished as fisherman's bend, carrick-bend, etc. See cut under carrick-bend.
5. n. One of the small ropes used to confine the clinch of a cable.
6. n. plural The thick planks in a ship's side below the waterways or the gun-deck port-sills. More properly called wales. They are reckoned from the water as first, second, or third bend. They have the beams, knees, and foot-hooks bolted to them, and are the chief strength of the ship's sides.
7. n. [See etym.] The action of bending, or state of being bent or curved; incurvation; flexure: as, to give a bend to anything; to have a bend of the back.
8. n. An inclination of the body; a bow.
9. n. An inclination of the eye; a turn or glance of the eye.
10. n. Inclination of the mind; disposition; bent. Farewell, poor swain; thou art not for my bend
11. n. A part that is bent; a curve or flexure; a crook; a turn in a road or river, etc.: as, the bend of a bow, or of a range of hills.
12. n. A curved or elbow-shaped pipe used to change direction, as in a drain.
13. n. A spring; a leap; a bound.
14. n. A “pull” of liquor.
15. n. In mining, indurated clay, or any indurated argillaceous substance.
16. To bring or strain into a state of tension by curvature, as a bow preparatory to launching an arrow.
17. Hence Figuratively, to brace up or bring into tension, like a strong bow: generally with up.
18. To curve or make crooked; deflect from a normal condition of straightness; flex: as, to bend a stick; to bend the arm.
19. To direct to a certain point: as, to bend one's course, way, or steps; to bend one's looks or eyes.
20. Figuratively, to apply closely: said of the mind.
21. To incline; determine: said of a person or of his disposition: as, to be bent on mischief.
22. To cause to bow or yield; subdue; make submissive: as, to bend a man to one's will.
23. Nautical, to fasten by means of a bend or knot, as one rope to another, or to an anchor; to shackle, as a chain-cable to an anchor.
24. To be or become curved or crooked.
25. To incline; lean or turn; be directed: as, the road bends to the west.
26. To jut over; overhang.
27. To bow or be submissive: as, to bend to fate.
28. To spring; bound.
29. To drink hard.
30. n. A band or strip used to bind around anything; a strip, whether as a fastening or as an ornament; a fillet, strap, bandage, etc.; specifically, a ribbon or bandeau for the head, used by ladies in the fifteenth century.
31. n. A name in the leathertrade for a butt or rounded crop cut in two; the half of a hide of sole-leather that was trimmed and divided before tanning.
32. n. In heraldry, one of the nine ordinaries, consisting of a diagonal band drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base: when charged, it occupies a third of the field; when uncharged, a fifth. Bearings are said to be in bend when they are placed upon the field obliquely in the direction of the bend; the field is said to be divided per bend when divided diagonally in that direction, usually by a straight line, but sometimes a broken line, battled, undé, or the like, or by a still more complicated mark of division. See bend-wise. Also applied to a row of charges arranged in bend. In bend sinister and per bend sinister are used in a similar way.
33. n. An obsolete form of band.
34. n. Power; ability: as, that is above my bend.
35. n. A segmental plate or ring on which the movable carding-surfaces of a revolving flat cotton-carding machine run and are adjusted in their relation to the main cylinder or drum.
36. n. plural Same as caisson-disease.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means.
2. v. intransitive To become curved.
3. v. transitive To cause to change direction.
4. v. intransitive To change direction.
5. v. intransitive To stoop.
6. v. transitive To force to submit.
7. v. intransitive To submit.
8. v. transitive To apply to a task or purpose.
9. v. intransitive To apply oneself to a task or purpose.
10. v. transitive To adapt or interpret to for a purpose or beneficiary.
11. v. transitive, nautical To tie, as in securing a line to a cleat; to shackle a chain to an anchor; make fast.
12. v. transitive, music To smoothly change the pitch of a note.
13. v. intransitive, nautical To swing the body when rowing.
14. n. A curve.
15. n. nautical Any of the various knots which join the ends of two lines.
16. n. in the plural, medicine, diving, with the A severe condition caused by excessively quick decompression, causing bubbles of nitrogen to form in the blood; decompression sickness.
17. n. heraldry One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the dexter chief to the sinister base; it generally occupies a fifth part of the shield if uncharged, but if charged one third.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To strain or move out of a straight line; to crook by straining; to make crooked; to curve; to make ready for use by drawing into a curve.
2. v. To turn toward some certain point; to direct; to incline.
3. v. To apply closely or with interest; to direct.
4. v. To cause to yield; to render submissive; to subdue.
5. v. (Naut.) To fasten, as one rope to another, or as a sail to its yard or stay; or as a cable to the ring of an anchor.
6. v. To be moved or strained out of a straight line; to crook or be curving; to bow.
7. v. To jut over; to overhang.
8. v. To be inclined; to be directed.
9. v. To bow in prayer, or in token of submission.
10. n. A turn or deflection from a straight line or from the proper direction or normal position; a curve; a crook.
11. n. obsolete Turn; purpose; inclination; ends.
12. n. (Naut.) A knot by which one rope is fastened to another or to an anchor, spar, or post.
13. n. (Leather Trade) The best quality of sole leather; a butt. See Butt.
14. n. (Mining) Hard, indurated clay; bind.
15. n. (Med.) same as caisson disease. Usually referred to as the bends.
16. n. obsolete A band.
17. n. (Her.) One of the honorable ordinaries, containing a third or a fifth part of the field. It crosses the field diagonally from the dexter chief to the sinister base.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. bend a joint
2. n. curved segment (of a road or river or railroad track etc.)
3. n. a circular segment of a curve
4. v. change direction
5. v. form a curve
6. n. an angular or rounded shape made by folding
7. n. movement that causes the formation of a curve
8. v. cause (a plastic object) to assume a crooked or angular form
9. v. bend one's back forward from the waist on down
10. v. turn from a straight course, fixed direction, or line of interest
11. n. a town in central Oregon at the eastern foot of the Cascade Range
12. n. diagonal line traversing a shield from the upper right corner to the lower left