Synonyms of binds

binds 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bind

1

as in ties

to confine or restrain with or as if with chains

prisons tend to bind convicted criminals for transport

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ties
• chains
• hampers
• constrains
• attaches
• confines
• handcuffs
• enchains
• fetters
• shackles
• secures
• lashes
• bits
• gyves
• fastens
• trammels
• restricts
• enfetters
• hinders
• links
• manacles
• pinions
• impedes
• joins
• irons
• hobbles
• limits
• curbs
• trusses
• hog-ties
• entangles
• tangles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberates
• frees
• releases
• unbinds
• rescues
• looses
• emancipates
• unties
• undoes
• unshackles
• detaches
• untangles
• unfastens
• disengages
• unfetters

2

as in bandages

to cover with a bandage

bind the wound to stop the bleeding

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bandages
• heals
• treats
• dresses
• ministers (to)
• swathes
• attends
• medicates
• doctors
• cures
• cares (for)
• nurses
• remedies
• rehabilitates
• mends

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unbandages

3

as in threads

to gather into a tight mass by means of a line or cord

bind the asparagus spears carefully before packing the bunches

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ties
• threads
• wires
• bands
• straps
• trusses
• cinches
• ropes
• intertwines
• cords
• tethers
• girds
• twists
• knots
• entangles
• interweaves
• coils
• snarls
• tangles
• interlaces
• winds
• lashes
• laces
• girts
• leashes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unties
• unbinds
• undoes
• unfastens
• unleashes
• unravels
• unstraps
• unlaces
• unlooses
• disentangles
• unwinds
• unstrings
• unloosens
• untangles
• untwists
• uncoils
• unspools
• unthreads
• untethers
• unlashes
• untwines
• unsnarls

binds

2 of 2

noun

plural of bind

1

as in pickles

a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape

with our vacation week fast approaching, and no arrangements for the care of our pets, we were in a serious bind

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pickles
• predicaments
• dilemmas
• holes
• swamps
• corners
• jams
• fixes
• rabbit holes
• boxes
• impasses
• rattraps
• mires
• kettles of fish
• spots
• sticky wickets
• difficulties
• nodes
• quagmires
• pinches
• jackpots
• plights
• crises
• halts
• hot waters
• soups
• catch-22's
• scrapes
• troubles
• deadlocks
• clutches
• crossroads
• straits
• stalemates
• quandaries
• exigencies
• emergencies
• logjams
• standstills
• junctures

2

as in chains

something that physically prevents free movement

the store owner held the would-be burglar in a makeshift bind until the police officers could arrive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• chains
• handcuffs
• bracelets
• ties
• shackles
• bonds
• cuffs
• manacles
• irons
• bands
• fetters
• confinements
• ligatures
• constraints
• traps
• restraints
• restrictions
• collars
• curbs
• trammels
• holdings
• entanglements
• holds
• hindrances
• nets
• captivities
• hobbles
• imprisonments
• enslavements
• incarcerations
• enchainments
• straitjackets
• fasteners
• immurements
• hold-downs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of binds

Verb

That force tightly binds particles known as quarks into composite particles such as protons and neutrons. — Matt Von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026

This can happen when your burner is set too high, oil splatters and polymerizes (binds to) the exterior, or food boils over and bakes onto the enamel surface. — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 25 July 2026

Citrate from lemon juice binds to calcium oxalate salts that may form due to diet and other factors. — Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 21 July 2026

The guardrail therefore binds precisely the coins that succeed. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Sincere thanks and reciprocation are part of the glue that binds us in human relationships. — Mark Schroeder, The Conversation, 15 July 2026

Anyone who has sat through a mandatory team-building exercise knows the difference between a ritual that binds and a program that irritates. — Julia Dhar, Time, 11 July 2026

These themes of what binds us, instead of separates us, have reverberated throughout the World Cup in the Kansas City area, which has made the art of welcoming a likely enduring signature and legacy of these weeks. — Vahe Gregorian july 10, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

What binds them is a Supreme Court case from 1857, when a man named Dred Scott sued for his freedom. — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 7 July 2026

Noun

There’s a lot of deus ex machina resolution of tight binds, things that happen off-screen and are waved away. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026