bent
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbentbent1 /bent/
x-refthe past tense and past participle of bendbentbent2 adjective
1 BENDno longer straight
a bent nail
Stand with your knees slightly bent.
He breathed in deeply, bent double in pain (=with the top part of your body leaning forward towards your legs).
a bent old man (=not standing straight) 2 → bent on something3 DISHONEST British English informal financially dishonest and willing to use your official position unfairly OPP honest
a bent policeman4 SY British English informal not polite an insulting word meaning homosexual5 → bent out of shapeTHESAURUSbent no longer straightThe knife was bent in the middle.a bent nail She kept her head bent so that Josie couldn’t see her face. twisted having a bent shape that turns around – used especially when something has been damaged or is old and has lost its natural straight shapea twisted tree trunkAll that was left was a pile of twisted metal.His knee was all twisted.a twisted anklecurved bent in the shape of part of a circle, especially naturally or because something has been made that wayThe bird has a long curved bill.a curved dagger The plane’s wings are curved.warped bent or twisted into the wrong shape because of heat or drynesswarped floorboardsThe windows are warped and won’t open anymore.crooked not straight, but bending sharply in one or more places, especially in a way that looks different from normal or does not look right – often used about a part of someone’s body, a path, or a pictureHe had crooked teeth.her crooked nose and long thin face The boys at school used to make fun of me because I have a crooked spine. The picture looks crooked - can you move it up on the left?a crooked paththe narrow crooked streets of the financial district wavy having smooth bends in it, usually in a regular pattern – used about hair or linesher brown wavy hairThe pictures were separated by a thin wavy line.
Examples from the Corpusbent• Half the inspectors here are bent.• How did this spoon get bent?• The nail is bent.• The hinge was bent and the lid wouldn't shut properly.• A few bent coppers can give the whole police force a bad name.• For a full minute he was bent double, like a stricken animal.• We stand over Tolo's bent form, and point with our cane.bentbent3 noun [singular]
formalGOOD AT special natural skill or interest in a particular areamusical/artistic/literary etc bent
readers of a more literary bentExamples from the Corpusbent• Rebecca has an artistic bent.• A native Nebraskan and a West Point graduate, Wedemeyer had an intellectual bent and a capacity for strategic thinking.From Longman Business Dictionarybentbent /bent/ adjective British English informal financially dishonesta bent accountantOrigin bent3 (1500-1600) bent “curve” ((16-19 centuries)), from → BEND1
More results
- bend
- bend over backwards (to do something)
- bend somebody’s ear
- bend the truth
- bend to somebody’s will
- bend your mind/efforts to something
- on bended knee
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