How do you pronounce bent?

The recorded pronunciation is /bɛnt/.

Where does bent come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

bent

/bɛnt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.99 in modern English

Syllables: bent
IPA: /bɛnt/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past and past participle of bend

adj

Folded or dented out of its usual shape.

adj

Corrupt, dishonest.

British usage; Colloquial

adj

Homosexual.

British usage; Colloquial; Derogatory

adj

Determined or insistent; inclined, set.

adj

Annoyed; out of sorts; having a bee in one's bonnet.

adj

leading a life of crime.

adj

Inaccurately aimed.

Slang

Example Sentences

"To say LAPD has a history of protecting bent cops and punishing honest ones is an insult to the annual drumbeat of new scandals."
"Asked bluntly by Julie Webb of the NME whether he was “bent” in December 1974, Freddie answered evasively: “You're a crafty cow. […]”"
"He was bent on going to Texas, but not even he could say why."
"They were bent on mischief."
"[…]in the ape posse, bent on vengeance, traversing landscapes clothed in snow and bristling with California red fir and silver pine, spooking human stragglers, and running across fresh graves as they search for the nameless colonel and try to piece together why the humans are killing each other."
"Near-synonym: butthurt"

Etymology

From Middle English bent-, preterite stem (as in bente, benten, etc.), and Middle English bent, ibent, ybent, past participle forms of Middle English benden (“to bend”). Equivalent to bend + -t.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: bent, benden, *beonot, *binut
Suffix: bend

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /bɛnt/
British English: /bɛnt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

benter (comparative) more bent (comparative) bentest (superlative) most bent (superlative) bents (plural)

Derived Forms

bentbill Bentley bentness bentwood bowbent downbent hellbent hyperbent inbent prebent semibent Bentleigh

Phrases

bent as a butcher's hook bent as a nine-bob note bent as a two bob bent car bent copper bent edge bent fork bent function

Frequently Paired Words

hell-bent

Synonyms

crooked queer homophile homosexual like that similisexual that way hell-bent butthurt disposition predilection proclivity

Rhymes With

went event sent percent spent meant non-event cent prevent rent represent extent