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
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
Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Salt unlocks hidden currents To measure performance, the team used a three-point bending test.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
The Baltimore, Maryland, group delivered a night of genre-bending, thrashing tunes — complete with a surprise appearance from Hayley Williams — to a crowd that could barely contain themselves.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Sep. 2025
Safari's address bar and header area are a hint more translucent than in Sequoia but considerably more opaque than the same aggressively light-bending glassy UI in iOS 26.
—ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025
Another, also built from white disks on a bending wire, evokes a mechanized Japanese cherry tree, its circles—perched high on a narrow stem—not revolving so much as brushing quickly past one another.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Carbon dioxide can interact with light by simultaneously bending and rotating.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
In August 2023, Perez – a tourism official who manages the island’s biggest concert venue, the Coliseo – got a phone call from two producers for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the genre-bending Puerto Rican rapper, singer, actor and occasional professional wrestler better known as Bad Bunny.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Some users discovered their phones were bending after placing too much pressure on them, prompting some critics to wonder if Apple had built the device too thin.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Marie fights the Hometeamers using her blood-bending powers, and a video of the aftermath goes viral on social media.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Salt unlocks hidden currents To measure performance, the team used a three-point bending test.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
The Baltimore, Maryland, group delivered a night of genre-bending, thrashing tunes — complete with a surprise appearance from Hayley Williams — to a crowd that could barely contain themselves.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Sep. 2025
Safari's address bar and header area are a hint more translucent than in Sequoia but considerably more opaque than the same aggressively light-bending glassy UI in iOS 26.
—ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025
Another, also built from white disks on a bending wire, evokes a mechanized Japanese cherry tree, its circles—perched high on a narrow stem—not revolving so much as brushing quickly past one another.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Carbon dioxide can interact with light by simultaneously bending and rotating.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
In August 2023, Perez – a tourism official who manages the island’s biggest concert venue, the Coliseo – got a phone call from two producers for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the genre-bending Puerto Rican rapper, singer, actor and occasional professional wrestler better known as Bad Bunny.
—Max Saltman, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
Some users discovered their phones were bending after placing too much pressure on them, prompting some critics to wonder if Apple had built the device too thin.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bending
Verb
-
In photos of the pair smooching at midnight, fans quickly recognized the iconic architecture, namely the gold, arching ceilings.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Aug. 2025
-
The effect can be like stepping into a bubble of serenity through a portal of elegant silhouettes, gracefully arching doors, textured walls, or ethereal installations.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Architectural Digest,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Owens, who was then devoting much of her airtime to the legal drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, responded to Kraus on Instagram.—
Clare Malone,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Here, 14 members of Forbes Agency Council share the line items their agencies are devoting more of their budgets to this year and the strategy behind these decisions.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Teixeira is aiming to stand out in what will likely be a crowded GOP field.—
Taylor Millard,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Speaking to Fortune after the announcement, Zandi described the Fed’s messaging as tightrope-walking between economic risks—aiming to manage dangers to job growth while signaling no rush into further cuts.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The majority of ensembles / possible model tracks have this curving away from Florida and potentially even the entire United States.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
And for an array of artisanal gelati and yogurt, Bella Blu (Via Giuseppe Garibaldi 7/8) is a good way to end a meal or begin a walk around Monopoli’s curving Lungomare.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Dialogue stays clear even during heavy action scenes, and the bass has the depth to rattle without distorting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
-
His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The local media loved this and similar stunts the group pulled, such as attaching wings to bicycles, attempting to fly over the river, and towing bicycles on rafts behind canoes.—
Carlton Reid,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The film begins with a notation that Short illegally recorded one performance of the show by attaching two microphones to a chain link fence that served as Godspell’s spare backdrop.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Room for two, a supple ride, a gorgeous view over a curved hood, perfect flow of air up and over the windshield and cockpit with virtually no backsplash to disrupt pleasant conversation, and the ability at any time to experience a rush of power and speed when the moment calls.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Samsung’s Odyssey Ark gaming monitor is down $900, and its massive curved screen with Cockpit Mode makes racing and flight sims ridiculously immersive.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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 20 Sep. 2025.
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