as in curved
marked by a long series of irregular curves
the river takes a long bending path to the sea
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in arching
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devoting
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 aiming
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
as in curving
to turn away from a straight line or course
the stream bends slightly to the east
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in distorting
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 attaching
to cause (something) to hold to another
bend a leash to the dog's collar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bending
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 June 2026
The midwife’s hand was a gender-bending invention of the Enlightenment, combining the intelligence and strength of a man’s touch with the sensitive delicacy of a woman’s.
—Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
The comedy veteran, whose career officially launched with 8 Simple Rules and a run on Charmed, has recently starred in such genre-bending rom-coms as Meet Cute (2022) and Role Play (2024).
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
Not the headline figures, which were grim enough on their own — roughly 124 million tonnes of methane from the world's energy sector, with no sign the curve is bending down.
—Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Verbinski’s latest, a genre-bending sci-fi that sees Sam Rockwell as a time-travelling madman recruiting help to save humanity from the threat of artificial intelligence, led the director to take a deep dive into new tools.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 13 June 2026
What’s the big deal with tying laces, unless bending or crouching is a big inconvenience?
—Elaina Verhoff, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026
Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts that these spacetime pathways can form under intensely bending, rotating space—such as around a spinning black hole.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
The driveway is gated, bending past a nearly football-field-size, 22-foot-deep pond that serves as both scenery and infrastructure.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
Verb
Create Seedling Pots DIY seedling pots are super easy to make from cardboard paper towel tubes by bending in the base of the tube to create a solid bottom and filling it with soil.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 June 2026
The midwife’s hand was a gender-bending invention of the Enlightenment, combining the intelligence and strength of a man’s touch with the sensitive delicacy of a woman’s.
—Literary Hub, 16 June 2026
The comedy veteran, whose career officially launched with 8 Simple Rules and a run on Charmed, has recently starred in such genre-bending rom-coms as Meet Cute (2022) and Role Play (2024).
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
Not the headline figures, which were grim enough on their own — roughly 124 million tonnes of methane from the world's energy sector, with no sign the curve is bending down.
—Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Verbinski’s latest, a genre-bending sci-fi that sees Sam Rockwell as a time-travelling madman recruiting help to save humanity from the threat of artificial intelligence, led the director to take a deep dive into new tools.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 13 June 2026
What’s the big deal with tying laces, unless bending or crouching is a big inconvenience?
—Elaina Verhoff, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026
Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicts that these spacetime pathways can form under intensely bending, rotating space—such as around a spinning black hole.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
The driveway is gated, bending past a nearly football-field-size, 22-foot-deep pond that serves as both scenery and infrastructure.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bending
Adjective
-
On the giant video screens that cover the curved facade of the building were scenes of rockets being launched, orbital data centers being built, and Musk describing humanity’s future in space.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
12 June 2026
-
Courtesy of the City of Orlando The area will be located behind a curved wall, screened from the main section.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The danger is that, in a bid to create a single over-arching platform, Apple creates a product that satisfies neither camp.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Its branches have a gentle, arching form.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
That’s easier said than done, especially when organizations are devoting far more resources to AI tools than to helping employees adapt to them.—
Kristin Stoller,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
-
In devoting such deep focus, Hockney, who died Thursday at the age of 88, restored something that had been lost in that original image.—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Apple is aiming to shift Siri from an assistant that answers questions to a critical tool across the iPhone’s software.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
Despite return-to-office mandates aiming to restore culture and trust, global employee engagement has plummeted, indicating proximity doesn't guarantee belonging.—
Belonging Forum,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
South Side Walk A long stretch of the Outerbelt begins on the South Side, runs through Jackson Park, past Steelworkers Park, and over the Calumet River before curving southwest out of Chicago.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
12 June 2026
-
Matter recommends deep purple Violetta and curving Shuko for their colorful, sculptural look.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The stainless-steel finish is extremely durable and will last for years without bending or distorting.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
10 June 2026
-
Authorities will target transactions aimed at distorting the market and conduct field inspections this week to determine whether participants are engaging in speculative trading, Moon Jisung, deputy finance minister for international affairs, said in a statement.—
Hooyeon Kim,
Bloomberg,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
His job is to test an ultrasonic transducer that sends pulses along a surface to deter mussels from attaching.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Because the slots on the UMS keep the brackets for the armrests and chair back aligned with the screw holes, attaching them is easy.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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From $561 per night. Perks: Saltwater pool and spa, king beds in all rooms, piano, fire pit At the top of a long and winding drive awaits Le Petite Retreat.—
Jessica Cherner,
Architectural Digest,
5 June 2026
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Said Rahmani often compared his life story to the plot of Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist, in which a young shepherd sets off on a long and winding journey to find his treasure, only to learn that it was buried near his home all along.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bending. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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