Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - bound

~1 the past tense and past participle of bind1 ~2 adj no comparative 1 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 about it. | 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." | bound to happen)  ("Why did Max die, Mom?" "He was an old dog, dear. It was bound to happen one day.") 2 »DUTY/PROMISE« a) be bound (by) if someone is bound by a law, promise, agreement etc, they have to do what it says  (We are bound by agreements made at the time of the treaty. | bound (by sth) to do sth)  (If he's acting as auditor he's bound by law to report. | legally bound)  (The two parties are not legally bound until the contract has been signed.) b) be/feel bound to do sth to feel that you ought to do something  (John felt bound to tell Katherine about the job, even though he didn't want to work with her. | I'm bound to say (that))  (I'm bound to say I think you're taking a huge risk. | feel duty bound/honour bound to do sth (=feel very strongly that you have to do or say something, especially because you think it is morally correct)) 3 »CONNECT/INVOLVED« a) be bound up with sth to be closely connected with a particular problem, situation etc  (Henry's problems are all bound up with his mother's death when he was ten.) b) be bound up in sth to be so involved in a difficult situation etc that you cannot think about anything else  (Jim's too bound up in his own worries to be able to help us.) c) be bound (together) by sth to share a particular feature or quality  (All the stories are bound by a common theme)  (jealousy.) 4 »PLACE/DIRECTION« a) bound for London/college etc also London/college etc bound travelling towards or going to a particular place  (The planes bound for Somalia carry food and medical supplies. | homeward bound (=going home)) b) northbound/southbound/eastbound/westbound travelling in a particular direction  (All eastbound trains have been cancelled due to faulty signals.) 5 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) 6 »BOOK« a bound book is covered on the outside with paper, leather etc + in  (a beautiful Bible bound in Moroccan leather | leather/velvet etc bound (=covered in leather, velvet etc)) 7 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.) 8 bound form technical a part of a word that is always found in combination with another form, such as `un' and `er' in the words `unknown' and `speaker' ~3 v 1 to run with a lot of energy, because you are happy, excited, or frightened + up/towards/across etc  (Suddenly a huge dog came bounding towards me.) 2 be bounded by if a country or area of land is bounded by something such as a wall, river etc it has the wall etc at its edge  (a yard bounded by a rusty fence | The US is bounded in the north by Canada and in the south by Mexico.) ~4 n 1 by leaps and bound/in leaps and bounds BrE if someone or something increases, develops etc by leaps and bounds, they increase etc very quickly  (Julie's reading is improving in leaps and bounds.) 2 out of bounds if a place is out of bounds, you are not allowed to go there + to/for  (Parts of the complex are out of bounds to some personnel.) 3 »LIMITS« bounds plural a) limits or rules that are given by law or exist because of social custom  (stay/keep/remain within bounds)  (Richards tried to stay within the bounds set by the financial controller. | keep sth within bounds)  (Talking is permitted in the classroom as long as it is kept within bounds.) b) old-fashioned the edges of a town, city etc 4 go beyond the bounds of decency/reason/good taste etc to not follow the rules that people normally follow when doing something 5 be within/beyond the bounds of possibility to be possible or impossible  (Mike's version of events is unlikely, but not beyond the bounds of possibility.) 6 know no bounds formal if someone's honesty, kindness etc knows no bounds, they are extremely honest etc 7 in bounds/out of bounds inside or outside the legal playing area in a sport such as American football or basketball 8 »JUMP« a long or high jump made with a lot of energy