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
Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
This prevents bending or tearing and ensures safe cleaning.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
Leung suggests bending extra wire hangers into frames for mini planters and attaching small pouches with twine or yarn to hold air plants.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
Some parts of Route 65 looked more like an artillery range, with rim-bending, tire-tearing, and suspension-slaughtering potholes blossoming from the black top.
—Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
But Greg Abbott is bending over backwards to build data centers that line the pockets of his donors, while raising our utility rates and depleting our water.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
For the launch colorway, a vivid graphic may initially bring to mind heat maps with its application of blue, green, yellow and red — but the choice was actually made to invoke a temporal fold, a theoretical concept of bending spacetime to move faster than the speed of light.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
For the uninitiated, King Gizzard is a popular and prolific Australian band known for bending genres, ripping live shows, and for putting out dozens of albums in a short period.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
And therein lies the challenge for Chinese clean tech—and perhaps what keeps it from bending the world’s emissions curve.
—Justin Worland, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Footage on social media posted by the CHP also showed trees bending in winds that blew between 10 and 30 mph and gusts that reached up to 60 mph.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
This prevents bending or tearing and ensures safe cleaning.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
Leung suggests bending extra wire hangers into frames for mini planters and attaching small pouches with twine or yarn to hold air plants.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
Some parts of Route 65 looked more like an artillery range, with rim-bending, tire-tearing, and suspension-slaughtering potholes blossoming from the black top.
—Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
But Greg Abbott is bending over backwards to build data centers that line the pockets of his donors, while raising our utility rates and depleting our water.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
For the launch colorway, a vivid graphic may initially bring to mind heat maps with its application of blue, green, yellow and red — but the choice was actually made to invoke a temporal fold, a theoretical concept of bending spacetime to move faster than the speed of light.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Feb. 2026
For the uninitiated, King Gizzard is a popular and prolific Australian band known for bending genres, ripping live shows, and for putting out dozens of albums in a short period.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
And therein lies the challenge for Chinese clean tech—and perhaps what keeps it from bending the world’s emissions curve.
—Justin Worland, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bending
Adjective
-
Hudsonian whimbrels, to be exact, shorebirds about the size of crows with long, thin, slightly curved beaks.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
We’re drawn to each design but really like the curved scallop edges and piped embellishments for an elegant bedscape.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Reaching 6 to 10 feet tall with arching branches, this tree's foliage becomes more intense with greater sun exposure.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Over the remainder of the half, the Broncos committed five turnovers and would have been down by even more at the break if not for a high-arching 3-pointer at the buzzer from Buchanan.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Still, the too-long-didn’t-read of what’s unfolding in the world of air travel is that major carriers are devoting lots of time and resources to their premium tier of travelers.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Firm research shows mom-and-pop investors are typically devoting only a small portion of their overall portfolios to these speculative plays, while keeping most of their money in more traditional investments.—
Yun Li,Kate Rooney,Alex Harring,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
At a program unaccustomed to recent success, which has two winning seasons in its 20 years as a Division I program, second-year Coach John Shulman has the Bears aiming higher that regular-season accolades.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The Hoosier Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The entry opens to a dramatic foyer with a sweeping staircase with curving iron balusters.—
Lynn Slaney Silguero,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
-
An industrial landscape gives way to vast marshes spliced by curving waterways.—
Kara Newman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Since his return to office in 2025, this firehose of lies has only accelerated, distorting everything from economic data to constitutional law.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
-
No Man's Sky creates entire galaxies by distorting archetypes through procedural variation.—
Amir Husain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Leung suggests bending extra wire hangers into frames for mini planters and attaching small pouches with twine or yarn to hold air plants.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
16 Feb. 2026
-
After attaching Kidman and Fanning and writer Susannah Grant, the package was taken out and, in a bidding war, went to Paramount+ with a straight-to-series order.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And, to no one's disappointment, seasons 2 and 3 followed suit, hooking fans even more.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Also mentioned is an auto-hitch system to simplify hooking it up to the tow vehicle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bending. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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