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
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Government and party officials, including members of the several police and party organizations that compile and use this political information, bend the rules to make life better for themselves and their families.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
The series has a hazy, dreamlike quality in which narrative logic bends but emotional coherence holds.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bend
Verb
From galaxy rotation curves that defy Newton's laws to gravitational lensing that bends light in eerie ways, scientists have been piecing together clues about dark matter like interstellar sleuths.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Government and party officials, including members of the several police and party organizations that compile and use this political information, bend the rules to make life better for themselves and their families.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
Stretching the limits The clip is reportedly designed to showcase Oli’s stability, joint articulation as well as movement control, through a series of exercises including side bends, leg lifts and splits.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
The series has a hazy, dreamlike quality in which narrative logic bends but emotional coherence holds.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bend
Verb
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Plans include two scenic overlooks of Leavenworth and arched blue railing to echo the current bridge.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
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The Canadian cultural mosaic, in which distinct identities exist parallel to an over-arching nationalism, further offered an alternative to the melting pot model found south of the border.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As law enforcement in Las Vegas looks back on the explosion, Sheriff McMahill, himself an Army veteran, said that Livelsberger’s story is a harsh reminder of the obligation this nation has to take care of the soldiers who devote themselves to keeping this country safe.—
Tonya Simpson,
ABC News,
11 Nov. 2025
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The city is devoting 12 inspectors to the effort — six teams of two.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While Democratic leadership aims to carry this momentum into the next slew of big elections in 2026, the road to Democratic control faces several obstacles.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Multiple measures on the ballot on Tuesday, however, aim to speed things up and reduce the council’s power over certain kinds of development.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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So much of Brazil strains the imagination—the interminable skyline of São Paulo, the beaches of Rio curving between monoliths of granite, the aquamarine pools trapped between the undulating dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses.—
William O'Connor,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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But by the early 19th century, some mathematicians had started exploring other kinds of geometric spaces — ones that aren’t flat but rather curved like a sphere or saddle.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Over the summer, officials in Turkey — where the lawsuit says some of the allegedly fraudulent Drake streams originated — started investigating Spotify over several allegations, including bribes for playlist placement and bot streams distorting domestic charts.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
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Meanwhile, the right shoe starts with a black pigskin suede base and mixes in blurred and distorted details to represent the pixelated side.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Inman said the bulk of the left engine pylon was still attached to the left engine when the engine separated from the wing.—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
8 Nov. 2025
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Two guys sat on New York public transit, talking into little mics attached to their Metro cards.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Benjamin Franklin would invent bifocals in 1874, Thomas Young would spot the uneven curvature of the cornea (astigmatism) in 1801, and steel wire would be developed in metal frames after 1837.—
Daniel Fusch,
Ascend Agency,
11 Nov. 2025
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In his general theory of relativity, Einstein described space-time as a four-dimensional manifold, and gravity as that manifold’s curvature.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Earle-Sears’s blowout even stunned veteran operatives accustomed to Virginia’s blue tilt.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Nov. 2025
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When that link is stiff, the rest of the chain must twist, tilt or torque to make up for it.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bend. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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