as in twisting
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
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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
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4
as in curving
to turn away from a straight line or course
the stream bends slightly to the east
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bending
Lori Majewski, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Even crows craft tools, bending twigs to similar ends.
—Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
For Moscoso, the signing comes after another client, MK McGehee, saw her genre-bending body horror feature The Red-Education of Jane Brown selected for the The Writers Lab 2025, a program supported by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
In one photo, the mom of three could be seen bending down to kiss her son while on a boat as the little one wore a life jacket and leaned up to his mom.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
The hook of the action is in using the randomization of each run (or bending it using many of the items) to essentially deck build a superpowered ass-kicker of a heroine on the fly each time.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
On the bright side, the Academy membership has recently shown itself to be increasingly cool with challenging, genre-bending material, from Everything Everywhere All at Once to Barbie.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
Based on Virginia Woolf’s landmark, gender-bending novel of the same name, Orlando features Tilda Swinton as the titular character, who was based on the author’s lover Vita Sackville-West.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 25 Sep. 2025
But in 2023, after decades of research, scientists celebrated several breakthroughs that have already started bending the curve on hospitalizations and deaths.
—Emily Bazar, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
That prior nod now tees them up for Grammy voters, as do their genre-bending sophomore album, Submarine, captivating frontwoman (María Zardoya) and star-making set at Coachella 2025.
—Lori Majewski, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Even crows craft tools, bending twigs to similar ends.
—Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
For Moscoso, the signing comes after another client, MK McGehee, saw her genre-bending body horror feature The Red-Education of Jane Brown selected for the The Writers Lab 2025, a program supported by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
In one photo, the mom of three could be seen bending down to kiss her son while on a boat as the little one wore a life jacket and leaned up to his mom.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
The hook of the action is in using the randomization of each run (or bending it using many of the items) to essentially deck build a superpowered ass-kicker of a heroine on the fly each time.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
On the bright side, the Academy membership has recently shown itself to be increasingly cool with challenging, genre-bending material, from Everything Everywhere All at Once to Barbie.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
Based on Virginia Woolf’s landmark, gender-bending novel of the same name, Orlando features Tilda Swinton as the titular character, who was based on the author’s lover Vita Sackville-West.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 25 Sep. 2025
But in 2023, after decades of research, scientists celebrated several breakthroughs that have already started bending the curve on hospitalizations and deaths.
—Emily Bazar, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bending
Verb
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Keep your shoulders relaxed and engage your core to avoid arching your back.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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Dirty kicks are essentially high-arching knuckleballs that can land in the middle of the field and take an unpredictable bounce or fly at an angle, depending on how the kicker makes contact.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Michaels is devoting about 25% of space in its stores to this new venture while also launching a party concept.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
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Already, boards are devoting more time and attention to discussing the use of AI within their organizations, including more than 62% of directors who reported participating in full-board discussions about AI policies for their companies.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.—
Steven Martinez,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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While this represents a decrease from previous estimates, the country continues to explore and develop its resources, aiming to enhance its position in the global market.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The eclipse maximum This magnificent view of the sun's disk was captured minutes after the local eclipse maximum, when 70% of the solar surface surface was hidden by the curving expanse of the moon in the skies above Dunedin in New Zealand.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
21 Sep. 2025
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Now operated by the 3rd generation of the Scott family, who still cook burn-barrel style on big cinderblock pits under the curving metal roof of the pit house.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kimmel’s September 15 monologue accused MAGA supporters of distorting the shooter’s motives, despite reports that the assailant leaned left politically.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Carr said Monday that Democrats are distorting his comments and misrepresenting the work at the FCC.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The book is divided into three sections, and each one begins with a character or characters finding a new house, and attaching so much hope to it.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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While the specs on this unit list knots as pre-bleached—the tiny dots attaching each strand to the lace, designed to mimic a natural scalp—they’re actually still pretty dark and visible.—
Noel Cymone Walker,
StyleCaster,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Designed by Anthony Guerrée for De La Espada, this piece features a central base crafted from a series of overlapping wood slats—a textured moment that creates visual equilibrium with its smooth, curved-brass counterpart.—
Rachel Gallaher,
Robb Report,
4 Oct. 2025
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In addition to a scratching surface, the product's curved design can also serve as a lounger for cats.—
Christine Persaud,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Since it’s widely recognized that this area of the plane doesn’t often get much love from cleaners, this genius tech organizer is the best alternative, hooking onto your tray table and providing pockets for your tablet, phone, headphones, and more.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
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After hooking his tee shot into trees on the adjacent 16th hole, Scheffler punched out, walked back to the 18th fairway, and shot over tents and trees to land 40 feet from the flag.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bending. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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