Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Sense: 1-3, 5-11
Date: 1300-1400
Origin: From the past participle of BIND1
Sense: 4
Date: 1500-1600
Language: Old Norse
Origin: buinn, past participle of bua 'to live in a place, prepare'; probably influenced by the past participle bound

bound

2 adjective
     
Related topics: Newspapers, Publishing
bound2 S2 W3 [no comparative]
1

likely

be bound to

to be very likely to do or feel a particular thing:
Don't lie to her. She's bound to find out.
it is bound to be (=used to say that something should have been expected)
'It's hot!' 'Well, it was bound to be, I just took it out of the oven.'
When you are dealing with so many patients, mistakes are bound to happen.
2

law/agreement

be bound (by something)

to be forced to do what a law or agreement says you must do
bound (by something) to do something
The Foundation is bound by the treaty to help any nation that requests aid.
You are legally bound to report the accident.
3

duty

be/feel bound to do something

to feel that you ought to do something, because it is morally right or your duty to do it:
Ian felt bound to tell Joanna the truth.
Well I'm bound to say (=I feel I ought to say), I think you're taking a huge risk.
be duty bound/honour bound to do something
A son is duty bound to look after his mother.
4

travelling towards

bound for London/Mexico etc

also London-bound/Mexico-bound etc travelling towards a particular place or in a particular direction:
a plane bound for Somalia
We tried to get seats on a Rome-bound flight.
homeward-bound (=travelling towards home) commuters
northbound/southbound/eastbound/westbound
All eastbound trains have been cancelled due to faulty signals.
5

relationship

be bound (together) by something

if two people or groups are bound together by something, they share a particular experience or situation which causes them to have a relationship [↪ unite]:
The two nations were bound together by a common history.
6

be bound up in something

to be very involved in something, so that you cannot think about anything else:
He was too bound up in his own problems to listen to mine.
7

be bound up with something

to be very closely connected with a particular problem or situation:
Mark's problems are all bound up with his mother's death when he was ten.
The people of Transkei began to realize that their future was inseparably bound up with that of South Africa.
8

snow-bound/strike-bound/tradition-bound etc

controlled or limited by something, so that you cannot do what you want or what other people want you to:
a fog-bound airport
people who are wheelchair-bound
a desk-bound sergeant (=having to work in an office, instead of doing a more active job)
9TCN a bound book is covered on the outside with paper, leather etc [↪ bind]
bound in
a Bible bound in leather
a leather-bound volume of Shakespeare's plays
10

I'll be bound

old-fashioned used when you are very sure that what you have just said is true:
He had good reasons for doing that, I'll be bound.
11

bound and determined

American English very determined to do or achieve something, especially something difficult:
Klein is bound and determined to win at least five races this year.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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