Ear — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

to cause to turn away from a straight line

"she bent the blade of the knife when she got it jammed in the drawer"

to occupy (oneself) diligently or with close attention

"bent herself to the task for the rest of the day"

to point or turn (something) toward a target or goal

"bent all of his efforts toward making his first documentary film"

to turn away from a straight line or course

"the stream bends slightly to the east"

to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of

"attorneys bending the facts to put their client in the most favorable light"

to cause (something) to hold to another

"bend a leash to the dog's collar"

to engage in activity for amusement

"told her son that he needed some time to run and play in the yard after his hard work"

to present a portrayal or performance of

"played Hamlet in the campus production of the classic"

to pretend to be (what one is not) in appearance or behavior

"stop playing the innocent, because I know that you were behind that prank"

to spend time in aimless activity

"just played around while we waited for the bus to arrive"

to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently

"this is how we're going to play the situation"

to risk (something) on the outcome of an uncertain event

"figuring that she had little to lose, she played her last few bucks on the state lottery"

to take unfair advantage of

"the candidate played on the voters' prejudices"

to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means

"played upon the customer's vanity to convince her to buy the expensive makeup kit"

to handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously

"please don't play with the telephone"

to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis

"turned the doorknob as quietly as possible"

to change the course or direction of (something)

"the dog turned the stampeding flock of sheep around"

"he turned his cart uphill"

to change one's course or direction

"we turned left at the light"

"the storm unexpectedly turned south and missed our area"

to eventually have as a state or quality

"will turn 12 in six months"

to move in circles around an axis or center

"the wheels turned, but the car was hopelessly stuck and wasn't moving"

to give serious and careful thought to

"turned the question every which way but could find no answer"

to be determined by, based on, or subject (to)

"what we do next turns on your answer to the following question"

to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around

"all the new information made his head turn"

to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge

"he did his best to turn his new friends against his ex-wife"

to take sudden, violent action against

"it is dangerous to keep tigers as house pets, as they often turn on their masters without warning"

to use or seek out as a source of aid, relief, or advantage

"no need to turn to violence when we can talk things out peacefully"