Don’t get in a bind with “bound”

Add comment October 29th, 2008

There’s bound to be some confusion when it comes to “bound,” “bind” and “bond” — not James Bond.

To “bind” is to tie up or patch up, as in “bind a book” or “bind wounds.” However, “bound” is the past tense and past participle of “bind,” as in “he was bound by tradition” or “the prisoners were bound and gagged.” It also can convey a sense of inevitability, as used at the start of this entry.

And the ties that bind can be “bindings” or “bonds,” as in “break the bonds of oppression.” Think of the related word “bondage.”

As if that weren’t enough, there are three other types of bounds:

A verb that means to leap, bounce or spring back — think “rebound” and “leaps and bounds.”

An adjective that means “ready to go or going” or “headed,” as in “homeward bound,” or a combining form, as in “westbound traffic.”

And a noun or verb pertaining to boundaries, as in “out of bounds.” A common error occurs with this verb: “Bounded,” not “bound,” is the past tense and past participle. So an area is “bounded” by certain streets, not “bound” by them.

To be bounded is to have boundaries; to be bound is to be tied up. Both are limiting, but the latter can get downright uncomfortable.