INDEX:
1. to bend something
2. to bend your body or part of your body
3. when something bends
4. easy to bend
5. not easy to bend
6. when something is not straight
7. when a road, path, river etc bends
8. the place where something bends
RELATED WORDS
see also
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1. to bend something
▷ bend /bend/ [transitive verb]
to make something have a curved shape, or to fold something at an angle, by pushing or pressing it :
▪ Someone had bent the aerial.
▪ He bent the wire into an ‘S’ shape.
bend something back/down etc
▪ We had to bend the branches back so we could get through the bushes and back onto the path.
▷ twist /twɪst/ [transitive verb]
to bend and turn something several times, such as a piece of wire, cloth, or rope, especially in order to tie it to something or make something with it :
▪ Laura twisted the handkerchief in her hands nervously.
▪ We twisted a wire coathanger and used it to open the car door.
twist something into/around/through etc
▪ Her long blonde hair was twisted into a knot on the back of her head.
▷ coil/coil up /kɔɪl, ˌkɔɪl ˈʌp/ []
to wind or twist into a round shape, or to wind or twist something in this way :
▪ The snake had coiled itself in a corner of the cage.
coil up something/coil something up
▪ They coiled up the rope and put it away.
2. to bend your body or part of your body
▷ bend /bend/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to move your body forwards or move it downwards, so that you can lift something, touch something etc :
▪ He bent and kissed the child on the head.
▪ The doctor says no bending or lifting for at least six weeks.
bend across/towards
▪ She bent towards me and whispered in my ear.
bend your arm/knee/finger etc
▪ ‘Bend your knees!’ shouted the ski instructor.
▷ bend over /ˌbend ˈəʊvəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to bend your body from the waist, usually in order to pick something up :
▪ Lenny bent over to pick up the coins.
bend over something
▪ My earliest memories are of my mother bending over my cot to kiss me goodnight.
▷ bend down /ˌbend ˈdaʊn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to bend your body low enough to pick something up, touch the floor etc :
▪ Sheila bent down to pick up the cat.
▪ He was bending down tying his shoelaces.
▷ bow /baʊ/ [intransitive verb]
to bend your head and upper body slightly, as a formal greeting or as a sign of respect or obedience :
▪ Archer bowed and left the stage.
▪ All the men turned and bowed as the Emperor passed.
▷ crouch /kraʊtʃ/ [intransitive verb]
to bend your legs under you, in a sitting position, and lean forwards, especially in order to hide from someone :
▪ I crouched behind a bush as the soldiers marched by.
▪ There were six people in the clearing, crouching around the campfire.
crouch down
▪ The plumber crouched down and looked under the sink.
▷ stoop /stuːp/ [intransitive verb]
to bend down low, especially to pick something up and then stand up again :
▪ There were two letters by the door. He stooped and picked them up.
▪ She stooped and hugged the little dog.
▷ curl up /ˌkɜːʳl ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to lie down and bend your legs, arms, back, and neck into a circular position, so that you feel warm and comfortable :
▪ She curled up in her bed that night, thinking of Michel.
▪ The two cats curled up together in the armchair.
▪ I was so tired all I wanted to do was curl up and watch TV.
▷ double up/over /ˌdʌb ə l ˈʌp, ˈəʊvəʳ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to suddenly bend your body at the waist, especially because you are laughing or in pain :
▪ We doubled over, laughing so hard it hurt.
be doubled up/over with
▪ He was doubled up with cramps from the greasy stew.
3. when something bends
▷ bend /bend/ [intransitive verb]
▪ The branches of the tree bent over into the water.
▪ I tried opening it with the knife but the blade bent.
▷ curl /kɜːʳl/ [intransitive verb]
if a leaf or piece of cloth curls, it gradually bends, starting at its edges, especially as a result of heat or dryness :
▪ I threw the letter into the fire. It curled, darkened, and then burst into flames.
curl inward
▪ The document was yellow and its edges had curled inward.
▷ buckle /ˈbʌk ə l/ [intransitive verb]
if something strong and hard buckles, it bends in the middle, usually because of very strong pressure or great heat :
▪ The aluminium chair buckled under Charles’s weight.
▪ Windows shattered with the heat from the blaze and metal doors buckled like cardboard.
▷ warp /wɔːʳp/ [intransitive verb]
if something made of wood warps, it bends and twists slightly as a result of too much heat, dryness, age etc, so that it is no longer flat or straight :
▪ The wooden fence had warped in the hot sun.
▪ To prevent the violin body from warping, there is a strong wooden brace along its whole length.
4. easy to bend
▷ flexible /ˈfleksɪb ə l, ˈfleksəb ə l/ [adjective]
something that is flexible is able to bend easily or can be bent easily, especially because it has been made like this to do a particular job :
▪ The better tennis racquets are made out of tough but extremely flexible graphite.
▪ Designers have come up with a technique for making skis more flexible.
▷ pliable /ˈplaɪəb ə l/ [adjective]
able to bend without breaking or cracking :
▪ High quality leather is firm yet pliable.
5. not easy to bend
▷ stiff /stɪf/ [adjective]
a substance such as cloth or paper that is stiff is hard and is difficult to bend :
▪ The leaves of the plant are very stiff.
▪ a stiff piece of cardboard
frozen stiff
▪ In the extreme cold my wet shoes became frozen stiff.
▷ rigid /ˈrɪdʒɪd, ˈrɪdʒəd/ [adjective]
an object or structure that is rigid is strong and will not bend or change its shape :
▪ The framework of the aircraft must be rigid yet light.
▪ About a dozen large rigid plates make up the Earth’s crust.
6. when something is not straight
▷ bent /bent/ [adjective]
something that is bent has lost its original shape and is not flat or straight :
▪ The nail was bent.
▪ How did this spoon get bent?
▪ The hinge was bent and the lid wouldn’t shut properly.
▪ Stand with your legs slightly bent.
▷ twisted /ˈtwɪstɪd, ˈtwɪstəd/ [adjective]
something that is twisted has been bent in many directions so that it has lost its original shape and may be impossible to recognize :
▪ Pieces of twisted metal and rusted pipe lay scattered around the yard.
▪ Investigators sifted through the twisted wreckage of the plane.
▷ warped /wɔːʳpt/ [adjective]
a wooden object that is warped has bent and twisted because of heat or dryness, so that it is no longer flat or straight :
▪ The window frames on the front of the house were badly warped.
▪ An old man was sweeping the warped boards of the front porch.
▷ curved /kɜːʳvd/ [adjective]
something that is curved has a long, smooth bend in it, usually because it has been made that way :
▪ The knife had a heavy curved blade.
▪ The temple’s roof is curved, in the Thai style.
▪ An airplane wing is curved on top and flat on the bottom.
▷ crooked /ˈkrʊkɪd, ˈkrʊkəd/ [adjective]
something such as a line, row, pipe, or tree that is crooked is not straight but bends sharply in one or more places :
▪ Smoke rose out of the crooked chimney.
▪ They moved down the narrow crooked streets of the old town.
▷ wavy /ˈweɪvi/ [adjective]
a line or edge that is wavy has smooth bends in it in a regular pattern :
▪ A series of wavy lines appeared on the video monitor.
▪ The flag’s stripes are wavy and alternate in color.
▷ wiggly /ˈwɪg ə li/ [adjective]
a wiggly line is one that has a lot of small curves in it :
▪ She wrote with large wiggly letters.
7. when a road, path, river etc bends
▷ bend /bend/ [intransitive verb]
▪ The road bends right then left, before passing a petrol station.
▪ At the top of the hill, the path bends sharply left and enters a small woodland.
▷ curve /kɜːʳv/ [intransitive verb]
if a road, track, coast etc curves, it has a long smooth bend in it :
curve away/round/towards etc
▪ The dusty white road curved away towards the mountains.
▪ a sandy beach curving gently around the bay
▷ wind /waɪnd/ [intransitive verb]
if a road, track, or river winds, it has many smooth bends and is usually very long :
wind through/along/around etc
▪ The trail winds through the hills and then down towards Ironhorse Falls.
▪ Route 101 winds along the coastline for several hundred miles.
wind its way
▪ We decided to take the Blueridge Parkway, which winds its way through the Smoky Mountains.
▷ twist /twɪst/ [intransitive verb]
if a track, road, or stream twists it has many sharp bends and changes direction many times :
twist around/along/through etc
▪ The path twisted back and forth up the side of the mountain.
twist and turn
▪ The streets are narrow and twist and turn and it is not advisable to take a car up them.
▷ zigzag /ˈzɪgzæg/ [intransitive verb]
if a road, track, or path zigzags it has many sharp bends going in opposite directions :
▪ The path zigzagged from side to side through the steep gully.
▪ ski routes zigzagging down the mountainside
▷ winding /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/ [adjective only before noun]
a winding road, river etc is long and has a lot of bends in it :
▪ The car climbed the winding road up into the hills.
▪ a quiet little town on the banks of a peaceful, winding river
▷ tortuous /ˈtɔːʳtʃuəs/ [adjective usually before noun]
a tortuous path, stream, road etc has a lot of bends in so that it is very difficult to travel along :
▪ Most of the villages are accessible only by boat or along tortuous jungle trails.
▪ a twisting, tortuous track through the Snake Mountains
8. the place where something bends
▷ bend /bend/ [countable noun]
the place where something bends, especially a road or river :
▪ The plane flew low, following the bends of the river.
▪ You go around a bend and the farm is on the right.
sharp bend
a sudden extreme bend
▪ He rounded a sharp bend, and suddenly the deep blue Mediterranean lay before him.
hairpin bend
an extremely sharp bend
▪ The bus creaked slowly round the hairpin bend.
▷ curve /kɜːʳv/ [countable noun]
a long smooth bend in a surface, line, or object :
▪ From the balcony, you could see the long curve of the shoreline.
▪ Morgan was killed when he lost control of his car in a curve.
▷ twist /twɪst/ [countable noun]
a sudden sharp bend in something :
▪ The path has a lot of twists and turns.
▷ kink /kɪŋk/ [countable noun]
a small sharp bend in something, especially something that is straight for the rest of its length :
▪ If there’s a kink in the hose, you won’t get any water.
▪ There was a kink in the path just before the bridge.
▷ joint /dʒɔɪnt/ [countable noun]
the place where two parts of someone’s body or two parts of a machine are joined, so that they can bend at this place :
▪ I’ve had a lot of pain in my joints recently, especially in my wrists and shoulders.
▪ The balljoint connects the driveshaft to the gearbox.