bound

Definitions

1. 1.On earth's remotest bounds. Campbell. And mete the bounds of hate and love. Tennyson. To keep within bounds, not to exceed or pass beyond assigned limits; to act with propriety or discretion.
2. 2.To limit; to terminate; to fix the furthest point of extension of; -- said of natural or of moral objects; to lie along, or form, a boundary of; to inclose; to circumscribe; to restrain; to confine. Where full measure only bounds excess. Milton. Phlegethon . . . Whose fiery flood the burning empire bounds. Dryden.
3. 3.To name the boundaries of; as, to bound France.
4. 4.To move with a sudden spring or leap, or with a succession of springs or leaps; as the beast bounded from his den; the herd bounded across the plain. Before his lord the ready spaniel bounds. Pope. And the waves bound beneath me as a steed That knows his rider. Byron.
5. 5.To rebound, as an elastic ball.
6. 6.To make to bound or leap; as, to bound a horse. [R.] Shak.
7. 7.To cause to rebound; to throw so that it will rebound; as, to bound a ball on the floor. [Collog.]
8. 8.A leap; an elastic spring; a jump. A bound of graceful hardihood. Wordsworth.
9. 9.Rebound; as, the bound of a ball. Johnson.
10. 10.(Dancing) Spring from one foot to the other.
11. 11.imp. & p. p. of Bind.
12. 12.Restrained by a hand, rope, chain, fetters, or the like.
13. 13.Inclosed in a binding or cover; as, a bound volume.
14. 14.Under legal or moral restraint or obligation.
15. 15.Constrained or compelled; destined; certain; -- followed by the infinitive; as, he is bound to succeed; he is bound to fail.
16. 16.Resolved; as, I am bound to do it. [Collog. U. S.]
17. 17.Constipated; costive. Note: Used also in composition; as, icebound, windbound, hidebound, etc. Bound bailiff (Eng. Law), a sheriff's officer who serves writs, makes arrests, etc. The sheriff being answerable for the bailiff's misdemeanors, the bailiff is usually under bond for the faithful discharge of his trust. -- Bound up in, entirely devoted to; inseparable from.
18. 18.Ready or intending to go; on the way toward; going; -- with to or for, or with an adverb of motion; as, a ship is bound to Cadiz, or for Cadiz. "The mariner bound homeward." Cowper.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "bound" mean?
• What is another word for "bound"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is bound.

• What is on earth's remotest bounds. Campbell. And mete the bounds of hate and love. Tennyson. To keep within bounds, not to exceed or pass beyond assigned limits; to act with propriety or discretion called?
• What is to name the boundaries of; as, to bound France called?
• What is to make to bound or leap; as, to bound a horse. [R.] Shak called?
• What is to cause to rebound; to throw so that it will rebound; as, to bound a ball on the floor. [Collog.] called?
• What is a leap; an elastic spring; a jump. A bound of graceful hardihood. Wordsworth called?
• What is rebound; as, the bound of a ball. Johnson called?
• What is spring from one foot to the other called?
• What is restrained by a hand, rope, chain, fetters, or the like called?
• What is inclosed in a binding or cover; as, a bound volume called?
• What is under legal or moral restraint or obligation called?
• What is constrained or compelled; destined; certain; -- followed by the infinitive; as, he is bound to succeed; he is bound to fail called?
• What is resolved; as, I am bound to do it. [Collog. U. S.] called?
• What is ready or intending to go; on the way toward; going; -- with to or for, or with an adverb of motion; as, a ship is bound to Cadiz, or for Cadiz. "The mariner bound homeward." Cowper called?