bind over

verb

bound over; binding over; binds over

transitive verb

: to put under a bond to do something (such as to appear in court)

Examples of bind over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An Eastpointe elementary school parent who is accused of threatening a teacher after his child did not receive a snack time was bound over to circuit court. —Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

The district attorney’s office said Andrea and husband Nicholas both waived their preliminary hearings in Reno Justice Court and that their cases were bound over to the Second Judicial District Court for all further proceedings. —Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025

State prosecutors had also hinted at an ongoing investigation in the months after the incident, including at the April hearing during which he was bound over for trial. —Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 7 Oct. 2025

Either side would have the right to appeal Simmons’ ruling, whether the group is bound over for trial or not. —Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bind over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover

Legal Definition

bind over

transitive verb

1

: to put under a bond to do something (as appear in court) under court authority

2

: to transfer (a case or defendant) to another forum after a finding of probable cause at a preliminary hearing

Note: In states that require indictment by a grand jury in felony cases, a case will be bound over to the grand jury if the judge or magistrate finds at the preliminary hearing that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the crime. In states that use an information, the case is bound over to the trial court upon a finding of probable cause.

intransitive verb

: to bind a case over

questioned the magistrate's decision to bind over

bindover noun