bend over

verb

To bend one's upper body forward and down while standing or kneeling.

“I had to bend over to see all the way down there.”

Similar
stoop
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Meanings

verbbend over (third-person singular simple present bends over, present participle bending over, simple past and past participle bent over)

present singular third person bends over · participle present bending over · participle past bent over · past bent over

  1. intransitiveTo bend one's upper body forward and down while standing or kneeling.

    I had to bend over to see all the way down there.

    Synonyms: stoop

  2. intransitiveTo act submissively.

    You really bend over when the boss comes calling, don't you?

  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see stay, over.

    Sandrita was bent over the sink doing the dishes.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo bend one's upper body forward and down while standing or kneeling.

Similar
stoop

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 俯身
  • 俯身 (fǔshēn)to bend one's upper body forward
Dutch bukken
  • bukkento bend one's upper body forward
Esperanto kliniĝi
  • kliniĝito bend one's upper body forward
Finnish kumartua
  • kumartuato bend one's upper body forward
French se pencher, se replier
  • se pencherto bend one's upper body forward
  • se replierto bend one's upper body forward
German sich bücken
  • sich bückento bend one's upper body forward
Greek σκύβω
  • σκύβω (skývo)to bend one's upper body forward
Hungarian lehajol, előrehajol
  • lehajolto bend one's upper body forward
  • előrehajolto bend one's upper body forward
Japanese 身を屈める
  • 身を屈める (mi o kagameru)to bend one's upper body forward
Russian наклоня́ться, наклони́ться
  • наклоня́ться (naklonjátʹsja)to bend one's upper body forward
  • наклони́ться (naklonítʹsja)to bend one's upper body forward
  • нагиба́ться (nagibátʹsja)to bend one's upper body forward
  • нагну́ться (nagnútʹsja)to bend one's upper body forward
Spanish agacharse, doblegarse
  • agacharseto bend one's upper body forward
  • doblegarseto bend one's upper body forward
Thai ก้ม
  • ก้ม (gôm)to bend one's upper body forward
Turkish eğilmek
  • eğilmekto bend one's upper body forward
Cite this entry
APA

bend over. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bend%20over

MLA

“bend over.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bend%20over. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bend over,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bend%20over.

Source: bend over on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.