1
as in to arch
to cause to turn away from a straight line
she bent the blade of the knife when she got it jammed in the drawer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to devote
to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention
bent herself to the task for the rest of the day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
5
as in to distort
to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of
attorneys bending the facts to put their client in the most favorable light
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to attach
to cause (something) to hold to another
bend a leash to the dog's collar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in curvature
something that curves or is curved
it's hard to see around that bend in the road, so be careful
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bend
Jennifer Sangalang, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Now, Enbang Li’s simple, three-foot-long device can bend light and could open up multiple new applications for mapping, monitoring, and navigation systems.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Two families, one hiking up, the other hiking down, were chatting and sharing insights at a bend in the trail.
—Bing Pan, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bend
Verb
In addition to building damage or palm trees that bend from strong wind, the image of car tops peeking through floodwaters has become synonymous with Florida hurricanes.
—Jennifer Sangalang, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Now, Enbang Li’s simple, three-foot-long device can bend light and could open up multiple new applications for mapping, monitoring, and navigation systems.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
During construction, Rongers said the trail will be blocked off at a bend, about 75 to 100 feet before Stanley Street, where the path now ends.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Two families, one hiking up, the other hiking down, were chatting and sharing insights at a bend in the trail.
—Bing Pan, The Conversation, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bend
Verb
-
My mom’s eyebrows arch like crawling caterpillars and then straighten out.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Back on the highway, the rearview mirror showed the clouds had lifted, the waters were still, and a rainbow had arched across the sky.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The situation stems from the commendable liberal impulse to devote extensive resources to public education.—
Marc Novicoff,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
-
News outlets devoted round-the-clock coverage to Jackson, and MTV dedicated its programming almost exclusively to the musician.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Paramount Skydance last year unveiled a new ad format for its Paramount+ streamer that aims to create new value for streaming inventory.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Section Two of the 1965 Voting Rights Act aimed to prevent mapmakers from weakening the voting power of racial minorities by either packing them into one district or spreading them out across too many districts to have an impact.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
All communal areas can be reached by curving but steep paths.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Depending on the positioning of this wing, the robot can glide forward or curve back toward its starting point.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The synthesis process consists of mixing bismuth ferrite with barium titanate to carefully engineer a strain, then growing the mixture as a thin film on a substrate that distorts its crystal structure.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But in doing that, that distorts the economics for all patients everywhere.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since the injury, goalie masks changed to include a piece of protection that was attached; the masks now extend to cover a wider portion to ensure that what happened to Malarchuk would not occur again.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Graham King—the British producer behind Martin Scorsese films like The Aviator (2004) and The Departed (2006) as well as Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)—secures the rights from the Jackson estate to make a film about Michael Jackson with screenwriter John Logan attached.—
Chris Murphy,
Vanity Fair,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The usually straight path of light gets curved along the warp, with the degree of curvature dictated by how close to the object of mass the light passes.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
14 Apr. 2026
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To achieve such a high curvature, the team took advantage of differences in the contraction and expansion of individual layers caused by physical stresses in the material resulting from the fabrication process.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Steam Controller also supports tilt controls with an internal gyroscope.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The moon’s gravity keeps the tilt of the Earth’s axis stable.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bend. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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