bound

Meanings

1. 1adjectiveafter a verb

   Heading toward a particular place, used after a verb and followed by for.

   Grammar: Stands after be and takes for: the train is bound for Denver.

   Patterns

   • bound for somewhere

   The ship was bound for Lisbon.

   Passengers bound for Chicago should go to gate nine.

   Which bus is bound for the airport?

2. 2adjectiveafter a verb

   Certain to happen or to be true, used before a to-verb.

   Grammar: Follows be and takes to plus a verb: it is bound to rain.

   Patterns

   • bound to do something

   If you keep practicing, you are bound to improve.

   Someone is bound to notice the mistake.

   With so much traffic, we're bound to be late.

3. 3adjectiveafter a verbformal

   Required by a law, rule, or promise to act in a certain way.

   Grammar: Follows be and takes by or to: bound by a contract.

   Patterns

   • bound by something
   • bound to do something

   Employees are bound by the confidentiality agreement.

   I feel bound to tell you the truth.

   Both sides are legally bound to accept the ruling.

4. 4adjectivecomparable

   Tied, fastened, or held firmly together by something.

   Grammar: Often used as a participle after a noun: hands bound with rope.

   Patterns

   • bound with something
   • bound to something

   The prisoner's hands were bound with rope.

   The old atlas was bound in dark leather.

   Many proteins are bound to the cell membrane.

Common combinations

bound to happen

An accident was bound to happen on that corner.

homeward bound

We were homeward bound by sunset.

legally bound

You are legally bound to report the damage.

duty bound

Doctors are duty bound to help the injured.

leather bound

She gave him a leather-bound notebook.

northbound traffic

Northbound traffic is moving slowly.

Synonyms and how they differ

obliged

Obliged stresses a sense of duty, while bound can also mean certain or fastened.

certain

Certain expresses confidence about a result, but bound to suggests it is the natural outcome.

headed

Headed is looser and needs no for, whereas bound for names the destination.

tied

Tied means fastened with a knot or cord, but bound can also fasten more formally, as in a book.

Opposites

Word family

bind verb

to tie or oblige

binding adjective

legally obliging

boundary noun

a line marking a limit

unbound adjective

not tied or restricted

Commonly confused: bound or bounded?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “bound”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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