bender
bender Lexical Profile
bender Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A prolonged period of unrestrained indulgence, especially in drinking alcohol or taking drugs (informal).
"After losing his job, he went on a three-day bender and stopped answering his phone."
A mechanical tool, machine, or person that bends something, such as metal pipes, rods, or conduits.
"The electrician used a hydraulic conduit bender to shape the steel pipe around the corner."
British A temporary shelter or tent made by bending flexible branches or saplings into a dome framework and covering them with tarpaulins.
"The travelers set up a sturdy bender at the edge of the woods to shelter from the winter rain."
North American In baseball, a curveball pitch that veers sharply as it approaches the batter (informal).
"The pitcher struck out the cleanup hitter with a sharp bender on a full count."
Word Nuance & Usage
While its literal technical meaning refers to a tool that bends materials, in everyday conversation it is most frequently used as informal slang for a prolonged drinking spree. In British English, it also carries an offensive, derogatory slang meaning for a gay man and should be avoided in that context.
• Rhymes for bender
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English as an agent noun from the verb 'bend' (from Old English 'bendan', meaning to bind or curve with a string) plus the suffix '-er'. The informal sense of a drinking spree emerged in American slang in the early 19th century.