BOUND

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does bound mean? 

• BOUND (noun)
  The noun BOUND has 4 senses:

1. a line determining the limits of an area

2. the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something

3. the greatest possible degree of something

4. a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards

  Familiarity information: BOUND used as a noun is uncommon.

• BOUND (adjective)
  The adjective BOUND has 9 senses:

1. confined by bonds

2. held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union

3. secured with a cover or binding; often used as a combining form

4. (usually followed by 'to') governed by fate

5. covered or wrapped with a bandage

6. headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in 'college-bound students'

7. bound by an oath

8. bound by contract

9. confined in the bowels

  Familiarity information: BOUND used as an adjective is familiar.

• BOUND (verb)
  The verb BOUND has 4 senses:

1. move forward by leaps and bounds

2. form the boundary of; be contiguous to

3. place limits on (extent or amount or access)

4. spring back; spring away from an impact

  Familiarity information: BOUND used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BOUND (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A line determining the limits of an area

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

bound; boundary; edge

Hypernyms ("bound" is a kind of...):

line (a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bound"):

fringe; outer boundary; periphery (the outside boundary or surface of something)

thalweg (the middle of the chief navigable channel of a waterway that forms the boundary line between states)

lower bound ((mathematics) a number equal to or less than any other number in a given set)

upper bound ((mathematics) a number equal to or greater than any other number in a given set)

brink; threshold; verge (a region marking a boundary)

border; margin; perimeter (the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary)

rim (the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object)

Derivation:

bound (place limits on (extent or amount or access))

bound (form the boundary of; be contiguous to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

bound; boundary; bounds

Hypernyms ("bound" is a kind of...):

extremity (the outermost or farthest region or point)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bound"):

lineation; outline (the line that appears to bound an object)

shoreline (a boundary line between land and water)

surface (the extended two-dimensional outer boundary of a three-dimensional object)

demarcation; demarcation line; limit (the boundary of a specific area)

end (a boundary marking the extremities of something)

border; edge (the boundary of a surface)

city line (the boundary of a city)

district line (the boundary between two districts)

bourn; bourne (an archaic term for a boundary)

border; borderline; boundary line; delimitation; mete (a line that indicates a boundary)

hairline (the natural margin formed by hair on the head)

heliopause (the boundary marking the edge of the sun's influence; the boundary (roughly 100 AU from the sun) between the interplanetary medium and the interstellar medium; where the solar wind from the sun and the radiation from other stars meet)

frontier (an international boundary or the area (often fortified) immediately inside the boundary)

county line (the boundary between two counties)

Instance hyponyms:

Rubicon (the boundary in ancient times between Italy and Gaul; Caesar's crossing it with his army in 49 BC was an act of war)

Moho; Mohorovicic discontinuity (the boundary between the Earth's crust and the underlying mantle)

Derivation:

bound (place limits on (extent or amount or access))

bound (form the boundary of; be contiguous to)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The greatest possible degree of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

bound; boundary; limit

Context example:

to the limit of his ability

Hypernyms ("bound" is a kind of...):

extent (the distance or area or volume over which something extends)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bound"):

knife-edge (a narrow boundary)

absoluteness; starkness; utterness (the quality of being complete or utter or extreme)

heat barrier; thermal barrier (a limit to high speed flight imposed by aerodynamic heating)

level best; maximum; utmost; uttermost (the greatest possible degree)

brink; verge (the limit beyond which something happens or changes)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

bounce; bound; leap; leaping; saltation; spring

Hypernyms ("bound" is a kind of...):

jump; jumping (the act of jumping; propelling yourself off the ground)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bound"):

pounce (the act of pouncing)

caper; capriole (a playful leap or hop)

Derivation:

bound (move forward by leaps and bounds)

bound (spring back; spring away from an impact)

• BOUND (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Confined by bonds

Context example:

bound and gagged hostages

Similar:

chained; enchained (bound with chains)

wired (tied or bound with wire)

tied; trussed (bound or secured closely)

tethered (confined or restricted with or as if with a rope or chain)

furled; rolled (rolled up and secured)

fettered; shackled (bound by chains fastened around the ankles)

pinioned (bound fast especially having the arms restrained)

Also:

unfree (hampered and not free; not able to act at will)

Antonym:

unbound (not restrained or tied down by bonds)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union

Similar:

conjugate; conjugated (of an organic compound; containing two or more double bonds each separated from the other by a single bond)

conjugate; conjugated (formed by the union of two compounds)

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)

Antonym:

free (unconstrained or not chemically bound in a molecule or not fixed and capable of relatively unrestricted motion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Secured with a cover or binding; often used as a combining form

Context example:

leather-bound volumes

Similar:

brassbound (having trim or fittings of brass)

cased (enclosed in a case)

half-bound ((of books) having the back bound in one material and the sides in another)

paperback; paperbacked ((of books) having a flexible binding)

well-bound ((of books) having a sturdy and attractive binding)

Antonym:

unbound (not secured within a cover)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(usually followed by 'to') governed by fate

Synonyms:

bound; destined

Context example:

he is destined to be famous

Similar:

certain; sure (certain to occur; destined or inevitable)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Covered or wrapped with a bandage

Synonyms:

bandaged; bound

Context example:

an injury bound in fresh gauze

Similar:

treated (given medical care or treatment)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in 'college-bound students'

Synonyms:

bound; destined

Context example:

a flight destined for New York

Similar:

orientated; oriented (adjusted or located in relation to surroundings or circumstances; sometimes used in combination)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Bound by an oath

Context example:

a bound official

Similar:

sworn (bound by or stated on oath)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Bound by contract

Synonyms:

apprenticed; articled; bound; indentured

Similar:

unfree (hampered and not free; not able to act at will)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Confined in the bowels

Context example:

he is bound in the belly

Similar:

constipated (have difficult or incomplete or infrequent evacuation of the bowels)

• BOUND (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move forward by leaps and bounds

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bound; jump; leap; spring

Context example:

Can you jump over the fence?

Hypernyms (to "bound" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bound"):

galumph (move around heavily and clumsily)

hop (make a jump forward or upward)

caper (jump about playfully)

hop; hop-skip; skip (jump lightly)

curvet (perform a leap where both hind legs come off the ground, of a horse)

overleap; vault (jump across or leap over (an obstacle))

leapfrog (jump across)

vault (bound vigorously)

saltate (leap or skip, often in dancing)

ski jump (jump on skis)

capriole (perform a capriole, of horses in dressage)

bounce (leap suddenly)

burst (move suddenly, energetically, or violently)

bounce; bound; rebound; recoil; resile; reverberate; ricochet; spring; take a hop (spring back; spring away from an impact)

pronk (jump straight up)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

bound (a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards)

bounder (someone who bounds or leaps (as in competition))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Form the boundary of; be contiguous to

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

border; bound

Hypernyms (to "bound" is one way to...):

confine; enclose; hold in (close in)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bound"):

skirt (form the edge of)

verge (border on; come close to)

shore (serve as a shore to)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

bound (the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something)

bound (a line determining the limits of an area)

boundary (the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something)

boundary (a line determining the limits of an area)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Place limits on (extent or amount or access)

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

bound; confine; limit; restrict; throttle; trammel

Context example:

limit the time you can spend with your friends

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bound"):

scant; skimp (limit in quality or quantity)

tie (limit or restrict to)

cumber; encumber; restrain (restrict (someone or something) so as to make free movement difficult)

delimit; delimitate; demarcate (set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something)

clamp down; crack down (repress or suppress (something regarded as undesirable))

constrain; stiffen; tighten; tighten up (severely restrict in scope or extent)

mark off; mark out (set boundaries to and delimit)

draw a line; draw the line (reasonably object (to) or set a limit (on))

gate (restrict (school boys') movement to the dormitory or campus as a means of punishment)

reduce; tighten (narrow or limit)

cramp; halter; hamper; strangle (prevent the progress or free movement of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

bound (the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something)

bound (a line determining the limits of an area)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Spring back; spring away from an impact

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bounce; bound; rebound; recoil; resile; reverberate; ricochet; spring; take a hop

Context example:

These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide

Hypernyms (to "bound" is one way to...):

bound; jump; leap; spring (move forward by leaps and bounds)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bound"):

kick; kick back; recoil (spring back, as from a forceful thrust)

bound off; skip (bound off one point after another)

carom (rebound after hitting)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

bound (a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards)

 Context examples 

As expected, the nanoparticles bound the toxin and exhibited red fluorescence that increased with the amount of melittin bound.

(3-D gel-nanoparticle device detoxifies blood, NIH)

More than 90 percent of our planet’s freshwater ice is bound in the massive ice sheets and glaciers of the Antarctic and Greenland.

(The Hidden Meltdown of Greenland, NASA)

Antibodies isolated from two survivors bound to an essential virus protein, called glycoprotein or GP, from Zaire, Bundibugyo and Sudan Ebola virus species, and prevented the viruses from entering host cells.

(Broadly acting antibodies found in plasma of Ebola survivors, National Institutes of Health)

This small decrease is consistent with a gravitationally-bound moon trailing the planet, much like a dog following after its owner.

(Astronomers Find First Evidence of Possible Moon Outside Our Solar System, NASA)

When bound to the ribosome, the antibiotic disrupts its ability to interpret and translate genetic code.

(A New Class of Antibiotics to Combat Drug Resistance, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The investigators found that EBNA2 bound to genes associated with the risk for multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and celiac disease.

(Epstein-Barr virus protein can “switch on” risk genes for autoimmune diseases, National Institutes of Health)

The team searched the genome of T cells for regions bound by a protein called histone acetyltransferase p300, which marks DNA segments that carry SEs.

(Autoimmune Disease Super-Regulators Uncovered, NIH)

He put his cap on with all haste, and gathered wild field-flowers and bound them together.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the next moment a great Lion bounded into the road.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Your professional reputation is growing by leaps and bounds, and the money you are making is reflecting this growth.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)