I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bend in a river
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He rounded a bend in the river and saw Flora sitting there.
bend/stretch the rules (= allow someone to do something that is not normally allowed )
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They bend the rules to suit themselves.
bow/bend/lower your head (= look down )
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He bowed his head and tried not not to look at her.
drive sb up the wall/round the bend/out of their mind spoken informal (= make someone feel very annoyed )
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That voice of hers drives me up the wall.
hairpin bend
rounded...bend
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As they rounded the bend and came in sight of the river, Philip took her hand.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
back
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Leave to dry overnight before gently bending back the waxed paper and lifting off the piped outlines with a palette knife.
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I pulled at chunks of the glass, the stuff bending back and forth, fighting back.
forward
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They ordered the young women to remove their upper garments and then to bend forward until their foreheads touched the cold sand.
round
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The photograph on the facing page shows a pair of pictures, illustrating two curved designs bending round towards each other.
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Then came the corner, the road bending round the walled compound of a Sheikh's racing stables.
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To the Hawaiian eye, waves are light rays bending round the planet from distant lands.
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It goes straight for a few yards and then bends round the corner into blackness.
slightly
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Seated there, she would bend slightly over the typewriter, spreading her full muscular jean-clad thighs.
■ NOUN
arm
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Christine had to bend her arm down by her side to get her fingers to connect with the keys.
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After a few days, Neil would bend his arms when pinched, though his legs were still rigid.
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Place the fingertips of both hands on your shoulders, bending your arms at the elbow.
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You may bend the lower arm a little if you wish.
body
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The horse should bend throughout his whole body and not just through his head and neck.
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Now keep it there and bend your body gradually sideways to the right, keeping your right arm pointing straight down.
foot
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When the ball is below my feet , I bend over a little more.
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Maurice sprang to his feet , slightly bending his head, soas to avoid stunning himself on the roof.
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As you step-tap on to alternate feet , straighten and bend the left elbow to work the front of the arm.
hand
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Shape a green arm with a pink hand which will bend around the door, and a green pointed foot.
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Alternatively, hold a heavy medicine ball in both hands , bend your elbows and thrust it from you.
leg
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The back of the leg has large muscles known as the leg biceps which bend the leg.
rule
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Only a zombie would risk a child's health by refusing to bend a rule .
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The state government was willing to bend the rules where necessary to stop penalizing employers for creating jobs.
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The willingness to bend the rules to authorize a major invasion of civil liberties contrasts sharply with the Spycatcher case.
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These are urgent issues because the few charities that bend or break the rules put the law-abiding majority at a disadvantage.
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However, it may yet be tempted to bend the rules to admit the two newcomers.
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This bending of the rules was typical of Rabari thrift and good sense.
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The advice on bending the rules came from the then Defence Minister, Alan Clark.
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It can be done, if you, or your travel agent, are willing to bend airline rules .
truth
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Unless very few ladies account for most male conquests, that suggests we all bend the truth .
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They don't just bend the truth , they simply reverse it.
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More serious still is her unfortunate tendency to bend the truth .
waist
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He pulled, and managed to bend forwards at the waist like an oarsman.
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Then I bend at the waist , and with a strike of a match, I set the last prairie on fire.
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Slowly bend from the waist , lowering the bar towards the floor and keeping the legs straight.
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She bends forward from the waist .
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Instead, stiff legged, he merely bends at the waist like a man twice his 37 years.
will
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If she thought by this means she might bend me to her will , she was as mistaken as you are now.
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The flowing lava of need spread throughout her loins, making her a strong forceful Amazon, bending the girl at will .
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All my life I have tried to manipulate people - bend them to my will .
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The world was bending to my will at last.
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The application of shock tactics to bend the will of the unwilling.
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Most of us can think more or less unemotionally when we bend our wills to that.
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None of all this will bend my will.
■ VERB
appear
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At the point where the air and water meet, the straw appears to bend .
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be bent double
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The old man was bent double under his load.
bend/lean over backwards (to do sth)
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Outside the trees are bending over backwards to please the wind: the shining sword grass flattens on its belly.
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Stuart was leaning over backwards to see Oliver's point of view.
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The authors, however, bend over backwards to avoid consideration of that particular class scenario.
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The Gallery is also bending over backwards to boost attendance, and in doing so is rather alarmingly bowing to populist pressures.
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They also needed to stop rationalizing the problem to themselves and bending over backwards to be fair.
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You should bend over backwards to avoid bitter personal rows and the holding of grudges.
bent on sth
bent out of shape
▪
Hey, don't get all bent out of shape!
blind bend/corner
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A combination of blind bends, and high speed frustrations has created a string of accident black spots.
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Miss Defy screeched around a blind bend into the path of an oncoming sedan.
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The lanes twisted across the spine of land in a series of blind corners and Miranda took each one without changing down.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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At the top of the hill, the path bends sharply left and enters a small woodland.
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He bent and kissed the child on the head.
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He bent the wire into an 'S' shape.
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I tried opening it with the knife but the blade bent.
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If the Christmas tree is fresh, the needles will bend without breaking.
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Relax your arms and bend your elbows slightly.
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She bent towards me and whispered in my ear.
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Someone had bent the aerial.
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The branches of the tree bent over into the water.
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The doctor says no bending or lifting for at least six weeks.
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The metal bar bends in the middle.
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The road bends right then left, before passing a petrol station.
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We had to bend the branches back so we could get through the bushes and back onto the path.
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You can't bend the steel without some kind of tool.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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He never woke to see the shining silvery form bending over him.
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Lie on your side and bend the lower leg.
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They ordered the young women to remove their upper garments and then to bend forward until their foreheads touched the cold sand.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
blind
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A combination of blind bends , and high speed frustrations has created a string of accident black spots.
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Miss Defy screeched around a blind bend into the path of an oncoming sedan.
final
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Coming round the final bend he had opened up a substantial lead and seemed to be coasting home.
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As I rounded the final bend I came face to face with the water jump.
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St Jovite was in a winning position on the final bend , but the race soon developed into its final desperate duel.
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It was beginning to look ominous for the Light Blues, as the final bend favoured Oxford.
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Breaking into a run she rounded the final bend and the chapel appeared before her.
sharp
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This required 18 traverses, short stretches of road linked by sharp bends , with beyond it a ravine.
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Soon the whole bunch was swallowed up in the little road, which made a sharp bend at that eastern point.
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These tubes should be of adequate bore, without sharp bends , and as short as practicable.
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Now there are only seconds between the sharp bends .
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The voices grew louder, and presently I caught sight of the men as they rounded a sharp bend ....
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Surely they can't begrudge us for being a tad sharper round the bends ?
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I looked out of the window and saw we were negotiating one of the sharp bends not far from the Villa des Lilas.
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He knows how to corner without disaster and is quite a rally driver on the sharp bends .
■ NOUN
hairpin
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There are terrifying hairpin bends , sharp dips and sudden ascents.
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When not thinking about puking your guts up round every hairpin bend , scenery magnificent.
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She floated above and ahead of them, and her eyes narrowed on to a shimmer of water at a hairpin bend .
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No one tackles its succession of hairpin bends unless they have to: it is a particularly dangerous stretch of road.
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It should be noted that hairpin bends are often necessary geographical features in high and exciting terrain.
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Some of the hairpin bends had Ruth clinging to her seat and holding her breath.
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When the road turns sharply left in a hairpin bend , take the footpath ahead into the woodland.
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Climbing the steep mountain roads round hairpin bends was quite dramatic and more than once I had glimpses of distant eagles.
■ VERB
come
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Then he came around the bend and saw the bicycle.
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We came around a bend , and soon found out why the oncoming traffic had stopped.
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We lined up in the final and I came off the bend well in the lead.
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That smell was just terrible: We used to cover Our faces when we came near the bend with bandannas.
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As they came round a bend they met a lorry overtaking a tractor.
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She came to the bend of the track, where the clump of twisted trees hid the view beyond.
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The next day he starts at one car coming around a bend a little fast.
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While she was trying to restart her Mini Metro car another came round the bend from Darlington.
turn
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Then, as they turned a bend , Silas unexpectedly stepped closer to her side.
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One at a time as they turned the bend , Ezra watched their faces stretch.
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We turn a bend in the road and there in front of us is an entrance to a town.
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He turned the third bend and found that the green path petered out in undergrowth.
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He turned the slight bend in the road.
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Before the first shots rang out, Adam had turned the shallow bend and was shielded by the safety of the trees.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be bent double
▪
The old man was bent double under his load.
bend/lean over backwards (to do sth)
▪
Outside the trees are bending over backwards to please the wind: the shining sword grass flattens on its belly.
▪
Stuart was leaning over backwards to see Oliver's point of view.
▪
The authors, however, bend over backwards to avoid consideration of that particular class scenario.
▪
The Gallery is also bending over backwards to boost attendance, and in doing so is rather alarmingly bowing to populist pressures.
▪
They also needed to stop rationalizing the problem to themselves and bending over backwards to be fair.
▪
You should bend over backwards to avoid bitter personal rows and the holding of grudges.
bent on sth
bent out of shape
▪
Hey, don't get all bent out of shape!
blind bend/corner
▪
A combination of blind bends, and high speed frustrations has created a string of accident black spots.
▪
Miss Defy screeched around a blind bend into the path of an oncoming sedan.
▪
The lanes twisted across the spine of land in a series of blind corners and Miranda took each one without changing down.
take a bend/fence/corner etc
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But Jack managed to have Bailey taking a corner - and then Bailey heading the flag-kick into the net.
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He was also taking fencing, just because it was new and different.
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Lucker has not been taking corners well.
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Next time she came ... He began fantasising and had to take avoiding action 81 when he took a corner too wide.
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Riding to hounds, taking fences and obstacles along a route dictated by the fox is a very skilled activity.
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They take corners to the far post and have a direct shot at goal from a free kick.
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Vi took a corner seat farthest away from the door.
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We took a corner table and sat down.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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As we rounded the bend , I could see the town up ahead.
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He rounded a sharp bend , and suddenly the deep blue Mediterranean lay before him.
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Start with a few knee bends.
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The balcony overlooked a wide bend in the river.
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The bus creaked slowly round the hairpin bend .
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The creek goes around a bend by the farm.
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The plane flew low, following the bends of the river.
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The taxi went around the bend at an alarming speed.
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You go around a bend and the farm is on the right.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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If you are known to be seeing a shrink you are deemed to be going round the bend .
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Let's start with the one just posed: Why are all the best views on the worst bends?
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Nobody was in sight when he looked back from the bend in the path.
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There was a private balcony that overlooked a wide bend in the river that runs through Minsk.