bound

1 of 7

adjective (1)

ˈbau̇nd 

1

a

: fastened by or as if by a band : confined

desk-bound

b

: very likely : sure

bound to rain soon

2

: placed under legal or moral restraint or obligation : obliged

duty-bound

3

of a book : secured to the covers by cords, tapes, or glue

leather-bound

4

: determined, resolved

was bound and determined to have his way

5

: held in chemical or physical combination

6

: made costive (see costive sense 1a) : constipated

7

: always occurring in combination with another linguistic form

un- in unknown and -er in speaker are bound forms

compare free entry 1 sense 11d

bound

2 of 7

past tense and past participle of bind

bound

3 of 7

adjective (2)

1

: intending to go : going

bound for home

college-bound

2

archaic : ready

bound

4 of 7

noun (1)

plural bounds

1

: leap, jump

cleared the hedge at a bound

2

: the action of rebounding : bounce

bound

5 of 7

verb (1)

bounded; bounding; bounds

intransitive verb

1

: to move by leaping

deer bounding across a field

She bounded down the stairs.

2

: rebound, bounce

a bounding rubber ball

bound

6 of 7

noun (2)

plural bounds

1

a

: a limiting line : boundary

—usually used in plural

The ball landed out of bounds.

b

: something that limits or restrains

beyond the bounds of decency

police officers overstepping their bound

2

usually bounds

a

: borderland

b

: the land within certain bounds

woodland bounds

3

mathematics : a number greater than or equal to every number in a set (such as the range of a function)

also : a number less than or equal to every number in a set

bound

7 of 7

verb

bounded; bounding; bounds

transitive verb

1

: to form a separating line or the boundary of : enclose

A chain-link fence bounds the yard.

The state is bounded on its east by the Connecticut River.

2

: to set limits to : confine

art … is always greater than the rules with which we may attempt to bound it

—C. S. Kilby

3

: to name the boundaries of

Students were asked to bound their state.

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• bent (on or upon)
• decisive
• determined
• do-or-die
• firm
• hell-bent (on or upon)
• intent
• out
• purposeful
• resolute
• resolved
• set
• single-minded

Noun (1)

• hop
• jump
• leap
• spring
• vault

Verb (1)

• bounce
• hop
• lollop
• lope
• skip
• trip

Noun (2)

• boundary
• cap
• ceiling
• confines
• end
• extent
• limit
• limitation
• line
• termination

Verb

• circumscribe
• define
• delimit
• demarcate
• demark
• limit
• mark (off)
• terminate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In most cases, that’s a lower bound estimate of the value, especially for childcare. —How To Save A Country, The New Republic, 25 May 2023

The lexicon consisted of two classes of words: free and bound. —Anvita Abbi, Scientific American, 16 May 2023

On March 13 of last year, Bobby, 45, was found bound and beaten up at a local store in Eagletown, Okla., according to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE. —Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2023

Scott Donahue, Medfield — After catching Collins’ no-hitter on Friday, the UMass-Lowell bound backstop launched three home runs and drove in six runs during a 4 for 4 day at the dish in Monday’s 10-0 win over Dedham. —Matt Doherty, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2023

Even then, the upper bound first established by Erdős and a collaborator nearly a century ago had barely budged. —Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2023

This is true, increasingly, of libraries nationwide: The good ones want to be community centers, not simply buildings that immerse curious readers in bound realms of knowledge and imagination. —John King, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Apr. 2023

Police have identified a teenage girl nearly 50 years after her body was found bound, gagged, wrapped in a tarp and dumped in a drainage ditch in Connecticut, officials said Monday. —Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2023

There’s sound, wound, bound, pound, round and so forth. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 17 Apr. 2023

Noun

Chase and other companies must treat customers, employees, and vendors ethically, with dignity and fairness, and within the bounds of the law. —David L. Bahnsen, National Review, 17 May 2023

The Bridgerton universe has, famously, opened up the racial bounds of traditional period pieces in order to allow greater diversity into its world of courtly intrigue and romance. —Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 6 May 2023

The fishermen say that the regulation is out of bounds for a federal agency, and such a burdensome requirement should be imposed by Congress only. —Brianna Herlihy, Fox News, 5 May 2023

The case ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in 1978 that the WGA had overstepped its bounds. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023

Provided the matter is handled empathetically and within the bounds of privacy, a person’s employer can be an important resource when a serious health problem develops. —Dean Carter, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2023

Ewers’ final line would have been a tad more impressive if star wideout Xavier Worthy didn’t veer out of bounds in the red zone on a 46-yard catch in the first half. —Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Apr. 2023

Philadelphia had a chance to go up by 10 early in the second quarter, but Harden lost the ball out of bounds and picked up a flagrant 1 for a elbow to Brown’s face, which bloodied his lip. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 May 2023

Striker romps and bounds like an athlete; Wasabi moves with haughty indifference, his tiny legs obscured by his cascading hair. —Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 12 May 2023

Verb

The versatile hands-free bag can withstand both kids and running errands in the rain, and makes traveling in any condition as easy as Carrie effortlessly bounding down those city stoops in her heels. —Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Bsn, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2023

Then Amy pushed past her and bounded up the stairs. —Dateline Nbc, NBC News, 10 May 2023

The song also surges into the top 40 of both of Billboard‘s global charts, bounding 41-19 on Billboard Global Excl. —Xander Zellner, Billboard, 9 May 2023

Even before Prince William bounded on stage to sing his dad’s praises, the underlying message was clear: Charles is Great. —Mike Mccahill, Variety, 8 May 2023

And, at one point, Cooper and Sanders appeared to simultaneously have an epiphany as both bounded to the screen and provided an explanation for a defensive breakdown at the end of the first quarter, which led to a first-quarter buzzer-beating three-point shot against the Technicians. —Scott Talley, Detroit Free Press, 7 May 2023

Some children embrace the challenge, bounding upwards playfully. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 15 Apr. 2023

Eventually, the same will almost certainly happen to Florida Atlantic and coach Dusty May, by leaps and bounds the most successful coach in program history. —Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2023

This squat Italian plumber has leaped and bounded through generations of evolving technology and game design to stay relevant in an infamously competitive and mercurial industry. —Jacob Linden, Popular Mechanics, 11 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English bounden, from past participle of binden to bind

Adjective (2)

Middle English boun, from Old Norse būinn, past participle of būa to dwell, prepare; akin to Old High German būan to dwell — more at bower

Noun (1) and Verb (1)

Middle French bond, from bondir to leap, from Vulgar Latin *bombitire to hum, from Latin bombus deep hollow sound — more at bomb entry 1

Noun (2) and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French bounde, bodne, from Medieval Latin bodina

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (1)

circa 1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing bound

• bound and determined
• half-bound
• duty bound
• bound up
• honor bound
• bound to say
• homeward bound
• I'll be bound
• quarter-bound
• root bound
• muscle-bound
• three-quarter-bound
• weather-bound
• outward-bound
• pot bound
• spiral-bound
• bound and gagged

See More

• bound and determined
• half-bound
• duty bound
• bound up
• honor bound
• bound to say
• homeward bound
• I'll be bound
• quarter-bound
• root bound
• muscle-bound
• three-quarter-bound
• weather-bound
• outward-bound
• pot bound
• spiral-bound
• bound and gagged

See More

Kids Definition

bound

1 of 7 adjective

ˈbau̇nd 

: going or intending to go

bound for home

college-bound

bound

2 of 7 noun

1

: a boundary line

2

: a point or line beyond which one cannot go : limit

out of bounds

3

: the land within a boundary

—usually used in plural

bound

3 of 7 verb

1

: to set limits to : confine

2

a

: to form the boundary of : enclose

b

: to lie next to

3

: to name the boundaries of

bound

4 of 7

past and past participle of bind

bound

5 of 7 adjective

1

: fastened by or as if by bands : confined

desk-bound

2

: required by law or duty

3

: having a binding

bound notebook

4

: firmly determined

we were bound we would succeed

5

: very likely to do something : certain, sure

6

: always found in combination with another word or word part (as un- in unknown and -er in speaker)

bound

6 of 7 noun

1

: a long easy leap

2

: bounce entry 2 sense 1b, rebound

bound

7 of 7 verb

1

: to move by leaping

2

: rebound entry 1 sense 1, bounce

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English boun "ready"; of Norse origin

Noun

Middle English bound "boundary," from early French bodne (same meaning), from Latin bodina "boundary"

Adjective

Middle English bounden "fastened, tied," from binden "bind"

Noun

from early French bond "a leap," from bondir "to leap"

Medical Definition

bound

adjective

ˈbau̇nd 

1

: made costive : constipated

2

: held in chemical or physical combination

bound water in a molecule

Legal Definition

bound

1 of 4 noun

1

: boundary

—usually used in pl.

metes and bounds

2

: something that limits or restrains

within the bounds of the law

bound

2 of 4

past and past participle of bind

bound

3 of 4 transitive verb

: to form the boundary of or enclose

property bounded on the north by a stone wall

bound

4 of 4 adjective

: placed under a legal or moral restraint or obligation