1
2
: placed under legal or moral restraint or obligation : obliged
duty-bound
3
of a book
: secured to the covers by cords, tapes, or glue
leather-bound
4
: determined, resolved
was bound and determined to have his way
5
: held in chemical or physical combination
6
: made costive (see costive sense 1a) : constipated
7
: always occurring in combination with another linguistic form
un- in unknown and -er in speaker are bound forms
compare free entry 1 sense 11d
bound
2 of 7past tense and past participle of bind
plural bounds
bounded; bounding; bounds
1
: to move by leaping
deer bounding across a field
She bounded down the stairs.
plural bounds
1
a
: a limiting line : boundary
—usually used in plural
The ball landed out of bounds.
b
: something that limits or restrains
beyond the bounds of decency
police officers overstepping their bound
2
3
mathematics
: a number greater than or equal to every number in a set (such as the range of a function)
also
: a number less than or equal to every number in a set
bounded; bounding; bounds
1
2
: to set limits to : confine
art … is always greater than the rules with which we may attempt to bound it—
C. S. Kilby
C. S. Kilby3
: to name the boundaries of
Students were asked to bound their state.
Synonyms
Adjective (1)
- bent (on or upon)
- decisive
- determined
- do-or-die
- firm
- hell-bent (on or upon)
- intent
- out
- purposeful
- resolute
- resolved
- set
- single-minded
Noun (1)
Verb (1)
Noun (2)
Verb
Examples of bound in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebLeila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
No additional guests will be allowed to enter the venue, with remaining in bound shuttle services canceled.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
Erotic images, too, benefitted from clandestine curtains and flaps in bound books.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
According to the complaint, the family was sitting at a nearby table when George approached them and started mocking the couple's daughter, who was described as having Down syndrome and was wheelchair bound.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
After his retirement several years ago, some of us decided to gather his sermons from the past 10 years or so into a bound volume and present it to him.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Another man with cuts and bruises to his face was shown being questioned via an interpreter while sitting on a bench with bound hands and feet.
—Guy Faulconbridge, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024
In 2017, passengers on a deportation flight to Somalia said they were left bound and shackled in their seats for 23 hours during a stopover, some forced to soil themselves because they were denied bathroom visits.
—Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 8 Mar. 2024
This led to an additional improvement of omega’s upper bound, reducing it to 2.371552.
—Quanta Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
Williams also threw a long would-be completion to receiver Shemar Kirk, who stepped out of bounds.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Since winning reelection in 2019, his government has advanced many large-scale legal changes that were once considered out of bounds for even hardcore Hindu nationalists.
—Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2024
The first occurred when a ball was tipped out of bounds with the Thunder leading 106-105 with 1:25 to play in the fourth quarter.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
The case is testing the constitutional bounds of taxpayer funding for religious education, with backers of the school confident that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent rulings on religion and schools have opened the door to what would be the nation’s first religious charter school.
—Laura Meckler, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
In securing an initial hold in February, federal prosecutors have continued to argue that the law is out of the bounds of state authority and seeks to usurp federal power — a position that has now been presented in front of the Supreme Court.
—Hogan Gore, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Our crew pushing bounds and creating set pieces, outfits, hairstyles, and music that were often unexpected and always first-rate.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
At one point, Curry stripped Derrick Jones Jr. on a spin move, but threw it out of bounds on the other end.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
One immediate beneficiary of the donations will be the Domenica Park development itself, an 18-home plan on 3.77 acres bounded by Oakland Avenue, Ellis Street and Greenfield Avenue north of East Broadway.
—Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2024
That phobia takes a tangible turn when Dark (recent Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser) comes bounding out of the closet, asking (OK, insisting) that Orion spend a night with him in order to conquer what scares him.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
His young son, Daniele, in a bright yellow jump suit, merrily bounded in, to his father’s delight.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
About 15 minutes before first pitch, Bob Melvin bounds down the staircase from the clubhouse and passes by Williams, making his way away from the field.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Bosa’s new condo tower will be bounded by B Street, Eighth Avenue, C Street and Ninth Avenue.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024
The area is bounded by 20th Street, Greenfield Avenue, North Avenue, and Lake Michigan.
—Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2024
The area is north of East Belknap Street and bounded by the Trinity River to the north, Interstate 35W to the east and Cold Spring Road to the west.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The proof refined techniques in harmonic analysis — a seemingly distant area of math that deals with representing arbitrarily complicated functions in terms of simple waves — to strengthen the bound.
—Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
No additional guests will be allowed to enter the venue, with remaining in bound shuttle services canceled.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
Erotic images, too, benefitted from clandestine curtains and flaps in bound books.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
According to the complaint, the family was sitting at a nearby table when George approached them and started mocking the couple's daughter, who was described as having Down syndrome and was wheelchair bound.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
After his retirement several years ago, some of us decided to gather his sermons from the past 10 years or so into a bound volume and present it to him.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Another man with cuts and bruises to his face was shown being questioned via an interpreter while sitting on a bench with bound hands and feet.
—Guy Faulconbridge, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024
In 2017, passengers on a deportation flight to Somalia said they were left bound and shackled in their seats for 23 hours during a stopover, some forced to soil themselves because they were denied bathroom visits.
—Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 8 Mar. 2024
This led to an additional improvement of omega’s upper bound, reducing it to 2.371552.
—Quanta Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
Junior Leah Smith stepped out of bounds at the end of her first tumbling pass, her first such error of the season, and tallied a 9.625.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 19 Apr. 2024
Williams also threw a long would-be completion to receiver Shemar Kirk, who stepped out of bounds.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Since winning reelection in 2019, his government has advanced many large-scale legal changes that were once considered out of bounds for even hardcore Hindu nationalists.
—Hartosh Singh Bal, Foreign Affairs, 12 Apr. 2024
The first occurred when a ball was tipped out of bounds with the Thunder leading 106-105 with 1:25 to play in the fourth quarter.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 10 Apr. 2024
The case is testing the constitutional bounds of taxpayer funding for religious education, with backers of the school confident that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent rulings on religion and schools have opened the door to what would be the nation’s first religious charter school.
—Laura Meckler, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
In securing an initial hold in February, federal prosecutors have continued to argue that the law is out of the bounds of state authority and seeks to usurp federal power — a position that has now been presented in front of the Supreme Court.
—Hogan Gore, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
Our crew pushing bounds and creating set pieces, outfits, hairstyles, and music that were often unexpected and always first-rate.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
At one point, Curry stripped Derrick Jones Jr. on a spin move, but threw it out of bounds on the other end.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Verb
In May, San Diego at Gloria’s behest offered for sale or lease the four blocks commonly known as the Civic Center — bounded by A Street and C Street to the north and south, and First Avenue and Third Avenue to the east and west — and a fifth block at 101 Ash St.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
One immediate beneficiary of the donations will be the Domenica Park development itself, an 18-home plan on 3.77 acres bounded by Oakland Avenue, Ellis Street and Greenfield Avenue north of East Broadway.
—Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2024
That phobia takes a tangible turn when Dark (recent Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser) comes bounding out of the closet, asking (OK, insisting) that Orion spend a night with him in order to conquer what scares him.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
His young son, Daniele, in a bright yellow jump suit, merrily bounded in, to his father’s delight.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
About 15 minutes before first pitch, Bob Melvin bounds down the staircase from the clubhouse and passes by Williams, making his way away from the field.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Bosa’s new condo tower will be bounded by B Street, Eighth Avenue, C Street and Ninth Avenue.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024
The area is bounded by 20th Street, Greenfield Avenue, North Avenue, and Lake Michigan.
—Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2024
The area is north of East Belknap Street and bounded by the Trinity River to the north, Interstate 35W to the east and Cold Spring Road to the west.
—Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bound.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bound
Cite this Entry
“Bound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bound. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bound
1 of 7 adjective
: going or intending to go
bound for home
college-bound
bound
2 of 7 noun1
: a boundary line
2
: a point or line beyond which one cannot go : limit
out of bounds
3
: the land within a boundary
—usually used in plural
bound
4 of 7past and past participle of bind
bound
5 of 7 adjective1
: fastened by or as if by bands : confined
desk-bound
2
: required by law or duty
3
: having a binding
bound notebook
4
: firmly determined
we were bound we would succeed
6
: always found in combination with another word or word part (as un- in unknown and -er in speaker)
bound
6 of 7 noun1
: a long easy leap
bound
7 of 7 verb1
: to move by leaping
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English boun "ready"; of Norse origin
Noun
Middle English bound "boundary," from early French bodne (same meaning), from Latin bodina "boundary"
Adjective
Middle English bounden "fastened, tied," from binden "bind"
Noun
from early French bond "a leap," from bondir "to leap"
Medical Definition
bound
adjective1
: made costive : constipated
2
: held in chemical or physical combination
bound water in a molecule
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