What does "bound" mean?
A boundary, the border which one must cross in order to enter or leave a territory.
Bound
/ˈbaʊnd/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A boundary, the border which one must cross in order to enter or leave a territory.
- Grammar: bound is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: boundary, edge, leap, limit.
- Useful contrasts: free, disobliged, footloose.
- Usage evidence: An ox is captured by the horns, a person is bound by his word.
How to use "bound"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bound" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bound" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bound" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bound" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bound" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "boundary" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bound", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A boundary, the border which one must cross in order to enter or leave a territory. often
"I reached the northern bound of my property, took a deep breath and walked on."
- 2 A sizeable jump, great leap.
"The deer crossed the stream in a single bound."
- 3 a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards wordnet
- 4 A value which is known to be greater or smaller than a given set of values.
- 5 A spring from one foot to the other in dancing.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 the greatest possible degree of something wordnet
- 7 A bounce; a rebound. dated
"Balzo, a bound of a ball"
- 8 the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something wordnet
- 9 a line determining the limits of an area wordnet
Verb
- 1 simple past and past participle of bind form-of, participle, past
"I bound the splint to my leg."
- 2 To surround a territory or other geographical entity; to form the boundary of. transitive
"France, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra bound Spain."
- 3 To leap, move by jumping. intransitive
"The rabbit bounded down the lane."
- 4 place limits on (extent or amount or access) wordnet
- 5 To be the bound of. transitive
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 To cause to leap. transitive
"to bound a horse"
- 7 spring back; spring away from an impact wordnet
- 8 To rebound; to bounce. dated, intransitive
"A rubber ball bounds on the floor."
- 9 move forward by leaps and bounds wordnet
- 10 To cause to rebound; to throw so that it will rebound; to bounce. dated, transitive
"to bound a ball on the floor"
- 11 form the boundary of; be contiguous to wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Obliged (to). not-comparable, with-infinitive
"You are not legally bound to reply."
- 2 Ready, prepared. obsolete
"This certain,—that a band of war / Has for two days been ready boune, / At prompt command to march from Doune […]."
- 3 That cannot stand alone as a free word. not-comparable
- 4 Ready to start or go (to); moving in the direction (of).
"Which way are you bound? —I'm already homeward bound."
- 5 Constrained by a quantifier. not-comparable
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- 6 Very likely (to), certain to with-infinitive
"They were bound to come into conflict eventually."
- 7 Constipated; costive. dated, not-comparable
- 8 Confined or restricted to a certain place. not-comparable
"railbound"
- 9 Unable to move in certain conditions. not-comparable
"snowbound"
Adjective
- 1 confined by bonds wordnet
- 2 secured with a cover or binding; often used as a combining form wordnet
- 3 (usually followed by ‘to’) governed by fate wordnet
- 4 confined in the bowels wordnet
- 5 held with another element, substance or material in chemical or physical union wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 bound by contract wordnet
- 7 headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in ‘college-bound students’ wordnet
- 8 covered or wrapped with a bandage wordnet
- 9 bound by an oath wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"An ox is captured by the horns, a person is bound by his word."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bound"?
Common synonyms include: boundary, edge, leap, limit, absolute, adjoin.
How do you use "bound" in a sentence?
An ox is captured by the horns, a person is bound by his word.
How do you pronounce "bound"?
Pronounced /ˈbaʊnd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bound, bund (preterite) and bounden, bunden, ibunden, ȝebunden (past participle), from Old English bund- and bunden, ġebunden respectively. See bind.
Etymology 2
From Middle English bownde, alternation (with -d partly for euphonic effect and partly by association with Etymology 1 above) of Middle English boun, from Old Norse búinn, past participle of búa (“to prepare”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English bounde, from Old French bunne, from Medieval Latin bodina, earlier butina (“a bound, limit”).
Etymology 4
From Middle English bounden, from the noun (see above).
Etymology 5
From Middle English *bounden (attested as bounten), from French bondir (“leap", "bound", originally "make a loud resounding noise”); perhaps from Late Latin bombitāre (“hum, buzz”), frequentative verb, from Latin bombus (“a humming or buzzing”).