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
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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
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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
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 May 2026
This helps so that people aren’t bending.
—Amy Kunst, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
The only way to subdue the dizziness may be to let go of the big ideas—nation, nature, arcs of history bending toward justice, and so on.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Messi then scored his eighth goal of the season on a left-footed shot from just outside the box, bending it by Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau in the 33rd minute to give Inter Miami a 3-0 lead.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 May 2026
Footage of the incident, which remains available on YouTube, shows the sculpture upturned, interior belly exposed, tossed about by crashing waves, its famous polka dotted shell bending like cardboard to the winds.
—Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2026
This enabled soft synthetic materials to perform complex movements — such as bending, twisting, and contracting — in response to temperature changes.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 May 2026
Other footage from outside the restaurant shows the man bending the standup heaters and throwing more chairs.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
The royal made a beeline to the young boys, immediately bending down to their eye level and shaking their hands.
—Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
Ludi Lin has spent the better part of a decade punching, kicking and fire-bending his way through some of Hollywood’s biggest action franchises.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 May 2026
This helps so that people aren’t bending.
—Amy Kunst, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
The only way to subdue the dizziness may be to let go of the big ideas—nation, nature, arcs of history bending toward justice, and so on.
—Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Messi then scored his eighth goal of the season on a left-footed shot from just outside the box, bending it by Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau in the 33rd minute to give Inter Miami a 3-0 lead.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 May 2026
Footage of the incident, which remains available on YouTube, shows the sculpture upturned, interior belly exposed, tossed about by crashing waves, its famous polka dotted shell bending like cardboard to the winds.
—Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 May 2026
This enabled soft synthetic materials to perform complex movements — such as bending, twisting, and contracting — in response to temperature changes.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 May 2026
Other footage from outside the restaurant shows the man bending the standup heaters and throwing more chairs.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
The royal made a beeline to the young boys, immediately bending down to their eye level and shaking their hands.
—Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bending
Adjective
-
This curved table from Martha Stewart’s home line has a flat back that sits flush against the wall without sacrificing space.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
-
The company has often touted it as a solution for creating curved car displays.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
With gracefully arching foliage, this evergreen fern is a staple of Southern porches.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The plant is a clump-forming fern with arching stems.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By the 1970s, editors tried to distinguish their op-ed pages from others, but most adopted the common practice of devoting most, if not all, of their op-ed pages to outside voices.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Nothing will ever undo the original sin, and devoting your life to ruining someone else’s is a loss for both of you.—
Paula L. Woods,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Clicks Technology’s Gadway said the company’s device emphasizes messaging and core functions, aiming to keep users focused on their original tasks instead of drifting into other apps.—
Sydney Goh,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
-
Authorities are aiming to complete the evacuation flights on Sunday and Monday, said Maria Van Kerkove, the director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, in a briefing Saturday.—
Iain Sullivan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Wilson is zoned for the 9th District, which extends across most of the state’s southern border before curving up to encompass the largely white and affluent Nashville suburbs.—
Matt Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
Wilson is zoned for the 9th District, which extends across most of the state’s southern border before curving up to encompass the largely white and affluent Nashville suburbs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
His side accused Lively of distorting events on set and filed a defamation suit seeking $400 million in damages against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and others.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
Stern recommends hanging the silk item freely while steaming to prevent the garment from stretching or distorting.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The Oakland Police Department said StarChase’s trackers had a high failure rate of attaching to vehicles, according to reporting from the Oaklandside.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
According to the Army, this speed was made possible through the use of 3D printing for the warhead housing and the Picatinny Common Lethality Integration Kit (CLIK), which serves as a universal interface for attaching lethal payloads to various drone platforms.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Devon Toews was called for a hooking penalty, giving Minnesota 63 seconds of 4-on-3 power-play time.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
-
Mason McTavish’s hooking minor proved costly as the Oilers scored just four seconds into the penalty.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bending. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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