bend

The word “bend” means to force something into a curved or angled shape. In plain terms, to curve, angle, or change the shape or direction of something — or a curve itself.

“Bend” is pronounced behnd (/bɛnd/ in IPA).

Here is “bend” used in a sentence: “The road bends sharply just past the bridge.”

Words with a similar meaning to “bend” include bow, courb, curb, curl, curve and crook.

The opposite of “bend” — its antonyms — are straighten, rectify, unbend, uncoil and uncurl.

Depending on how it is used, “bend” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “bend” comes from Old English. From Old English bendan, "to bend a bow" — from the same root as "bind" and "band," since bending a bow originally meant stringing it tight.

“Bend” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

To bend is to force something into a curve or angle, while to fold is to lay one part of something over another, usually creating a sharp crease. You bend a wire into a curve, but you fold a sheet of paper.

The standard past tense and past participle of 'bend' is 'bent,' as in 'she bent the wire.' The older form 'bended' survives today only in the fixed expression 'on bended knee.'

'Bend' is a general word for forcing something into a curve, while 'bow' often means to bend the head or upper body forward, especially as a sign of respect. All bowing involves bending, but not all bending is bowing.

To bend is to curve something along its length into an arc or angle, while to twist is to turn something around its own axis. A road can bend to the left, but a cloth is twisted when its ends are turned in opposite directions.