binder

noun

bind·​er ˈbīn-dər 

1

: a person or machine that binds something (such as books)

2

a

: something used in binding

b

: a usually detachable cover (as for holding sheets of paper)

3

: something (such as tar or cement) that produces or promotes cohesion in loosely assembled substances

4

: a temporary insurance contract that provides coverage until the policy is issued

5

: something (such as money) given in earnest

also : the agreement arrived at

6

: a tobacco leaf wrapped between the filler and wrapper of a cigar

Examples of binder in a Sentence

The egg in the recipe acts as a binder.

Recent Examples on the Web

Three of the 10 winners are puros—smokes whose binder, wrapper, and filler are grown in a single country—and each of them offers a focused creative statement, rather than complexity for complexity’s sake. —Richard Carleton Hacker, Robb Report, 19 June 2026

With a mood board of influences including CD-binder staples like Neil Young’s Harvest Moon and alt-country lifers Blue Rodeo’s Five Days in July, Shabason and Krgovich summon the spirit of a backyard campfire attended by folkies and experimental jazz nerds alike. —Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 18 June 2026

Soft, white breadcrumbs double as a feather-light binder and golden crumb topping. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 13 June 2026

The conversation had been outsourced to binders, boardroom‑style family meetings, or, often, to trusts written decades earlier and revisited only with accountants. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing binder

• ring binder

Rhymes for binder

• blinder
• finder
• grinder
• kinder
• minder
• pinder
• bookbinder
• factfinder
• pathfinder
• reminder
• sidewinder
• viewfinder

Kids Definition

binder

noun

bind·​er ˈbīn-dər 

1

: a person or machine that binds something (as books)

2

: a cover for holding together loose sheets of paper

3

: something that holds other substances together

use egg as a binder in meat loaf

Medical Definition

binder

noun

bind·​er ˈbīn-dər 

1

: a broad bandage applied (as about the chest or abdomen) for support

a breast binder

an obstetrical binder

2

: a substance (as glucose or acacia) used in pharmacy to hold together the ingredients of a compressed tablet

Legal Definition

binder

noun

bind·​er ˈbīn-dər 

1

: a temporary insurance contract that provides coverage until the policy is issued

2

: a receipt for money paid to the owner of real estate or to the owner's agent to secure the right to purchase the real estate upon agreed terms

also : the money itself