1
as in arches
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in devotes
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 aims
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 curves
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 distorts
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 attaches
to cause (something) to hold to another
bend a leash to the dog's collar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in curvatures
something that curves or is curved
it's hard to see around that bend in the road, so be careful
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bends
Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
Unlike the rectus abdominis, which covers the front of the abdomen and mainly bends your torso forward, your obliques control rotation, resist unwanted twisting and keep your rib cage stacked over your pelvis.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
When pressure bends the ice, this liquid flows through the channels.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
But Sex and the City bends to no rules!
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Our democracy bends but does not break.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Yet Antonia isn’t fragile; her forceful imagination bends the others to her will.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
The sides and top of the car were damaged, and the car appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
The culture bends toward drama, employees disengage, and real progress is delayed.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The river’s bends are driven by larger-scale, longer-term phenomena — the shifting of tectonic plates, the erosion of the riverbank by plant roots, the volume of water flowing through the atmosphere and landscape, and more.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
The president will rage, both caucuses in Congress will condemn and Wall Street will do deep knee bends.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 14 Sep. 2025
Broncos’ defense bends but doesn’t break for the second straight drive.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
As your foot bends and stiffens, the GearFlex plate does the same.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
At most, the phone slightly bends before straightening back.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The tips of the arms were primarily used for bends, while elongations were more frequent closer to the body.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
His voice took a few beats to settle, but in the meantime who wouldn’t be captivated by Martin’s joyful skips, knee bends, winks and grins?
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Another chase ensues, this time by car, and, once again, Jake bends his moral code to save Vince’s life.
—Katie Mannion, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
Unlike the rectus abdominis, which covers the front of the abdomen and mainly bends your torso forward, your obliques control rotation, resist unwanted twisting and keep your rib cage stacked over your pelvis.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
When pressure bends the ice, this liquid flows through the channels.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
But Sex and the City bends to no rules!
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
Our democracy bends but does not break.
—John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Yet Antonia isn’t fragile; her forceful imagination bends the others to her will.
—Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025
The sides and top of the car were damaged, and the car appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
The culture bends toward drama, employees disengage, and real progress is delayed.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
The fairway bends gently left, bordered by trees and water on the left side, a bunker on the right, and a second water carry into a green guarded by a large bunker on the left.
—Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The river’s bends are driven by larger-scale, longer-term phenomena — the shifting of tectonic plates, the erosion of the riverbank by plant roots, the volume of water flowing through the atmosphere and landscape, and more.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
The president will rage, both caucuses in Congress will condemn and Wall Street will do deep knee bends.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 14 Sep. 2025
Broncos’ defense bends but doesn’t break for the second straight drive.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
As your foot bends and stiffens, the GearFlex plate does the same.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025
At most, the phone slightly bends before straightening back.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The tips of the arms were primarily used for bends, while elongations were more frequent closer to the body.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
His voice took a few beats to settle, but in the meantime who wouldn’t be captivated by Martin’s joyful skips, knee bends, winks and grins?
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bends
Verb
-
Nosrat devotes a whole chapter of Good Things to homemade condiments, components, and toppings.—
Amiel Stanek,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
This scene must have inspired the one in the iconic six-hour 1995 BBC series, which devotes a full minute to Elizabeth’s muddy walk.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Streaming Thursdays on Disney+ and Hulu, the podcast is produced by BBC Studios and aims to deepen fan engagement throughout Season 34.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Kamo‘oalewa is one of the destinations of China’s Tianwen-2 mission launched in May, which aims to collect and return samples from the space rock in 2027.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The mortality curves from Gompertz models associated with the three migratory strategies are presented on panel A–C—the death rates m(x) (gray dots) are also presented.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
As the road curves around, the Inland Sea comes into view, its small pool feeding into the ocean through a massive slit in the cliff.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Messy data wrecks forecasts, distorts reporting and wastes time.—
Thasha Batts,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Stress or overconfidence distorts risk perception and influences decisions far more than spreadsheets.—
Bruce Helmer,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Dropla also created the Droplet Device – a portable AI unit that attaches to drone controllers, allowing soldiers to detect mines on supply routes in real time.—
David Kirichenko,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The pen—probably the leading reason to get a convertible laptop—charges via USB-C and magnetically attaches to the top cover.—
Mark Coppock,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Posture Changes Spine curvatures can make standing up straight difficult, causing lower right back pain.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Their team built custom platinum contact lenses, press-molded to precise curvatures, and connected them to electrodes.—
Meghie Rodrigues,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In Korea’s case, those economic issue include the immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia that saw hundreds of South Koreans detained; and in Japan’s by a trade deal with Washington that some analysts say tilts in the US’s favor.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The warps also mimic the tilts of the orbits of the planets in our solar system.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Create subheadlines that make one clear promise Your subheadline does the heavy lifting after your headline hooks them.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
To develop it, the research team incorporated mushroom heads or hooks directly into the building components.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bends. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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