# bind

> English word · Verb · IPA /baɪnd/ · frequency rank #10,331

## Definitions
1. To tie; to confine by any ligature.
2. To cohere or stick together in a mass.
3. To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction.
4. To exert a binding or restraining influence.
5. To tie or fasten tightly together, with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.
6. To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind.
7. To couple.
8. To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other social tie.
9. To put (a person) under definite legal obligations, especially, under the obligation of a bond or covenant.
10. To place under legal obligation to serve.
11. To protect or strengthen by applying a band or binding, as the edge of a carpet or garment.
12. To make fast (a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to encircle with something.
13. To cover, as with a bandage.
14. To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action, as by producing constipation.
15. To put together in a cover, as of books.
16. To make two or more elements stick together.
17. To associate an identifier with a value; to associate a variable name, method name, etc. with the content of a storage location.
18. To process one or more object modules into an executable program.
19. To complain; to whine about something.
20. To wear a binder so as to flatten one's chest to give the appearance of a flat chest, usually done by trans men.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ-der.
Proto-Germanic *bindaną
Proto-West Germanic *bindan
Old English bindan
Middle English binden
English bind
From Middle English binden, from Old English bindan, from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from Proto-Germanic *bindaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéndʰ-e-ti, from *bʰendʰ- (“to tie”).
See also West Frisian bine, Dutch binden, Low German binnen, binden, German binden, Danish binde; also Welsh ben (“cart”), Latin offendīx (“knot, band”), Lithuanian beñdras (“partner”), Albanian bind (“to convince, to awe, to spell”), Ancient Greek πεῖσμα (peîsma, “cable, rope”), Persian بستن (bastan, “to bind”), Sanskrit बन्धति (bándhati). Doublet of bandana.

## Easily confused with
- **bn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bn)
- **bit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bit)
- **bud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bud)
- **bio** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bio)
- **BON** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bon)
- **bun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bun)
- **bis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bis)
- **biz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-biz)
- **bpd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bpd)
- **bod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bod)
- **Bir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bir)
- **bird** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bird)
- **bond** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bond)
- **bone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bone)
- **bite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bite)
- **bold** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bold)
- **bits** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bits)
- **brad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-brad)
- **Boyd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-boyd)
- **bred** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bind-vs-bred)

## Common misspellings (6)
`bbind`, `bidn`, `bindd`, `binnd`, `bnid`, `ibnd`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bind