Binders

a person or thing that binds.
a detachable cover, resembling the cover of a notebook or book, with clasps or rings for holding loose papers together:
a three-ring binder.
a person who binds books; a bookbinder.
insurance. an agreement by which property or liability coverage is granted pending issuance of a policy.
agriculture.

an attachment to a harvester or reaper for binding the cut grain.
also called self-binder. a machine that cuts and binds grain.

chemistry. any substance that causes the components of a mixture to cohere.
painting. a vehicle in which pigment is suspended.
(in powder metallurgy) a substance for holding compacted metal powder together while it is being sintered.
building trades.

a stone, as a perpend, for bonding masonry.
a girder supporting the ends of two sets of floor joists.
a material for holding loose material together, as in a macadamized road.
stirrup (def 4).

british, australian slang. a large quant-ty, especially of food.
contemporary examples

the gop’s candy strategy howard kurtz october 16, 2012
los angeles politics needs more women john phillips may 18, 2013
oligarch v. oligarch: london’s courts attract litigious tyc–ns mike giglio july 22, 2012
mitt romney’s ‘binders full of women’ comment sets internet ablaze marlow stern october 16, 2012
inside ‘mitt,’ netflix’s all-access mitt romney doc-mentary marlow stern january 16, 2014

historical examples

encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 4, slice 2 various
encyclopaedia britannica, 11th edition, volume 17, slice 5 various
cooley’s practical receipts, volume ii arnold cooley
the barnet book of photography various
library bookbinding arthur low bailey

noun
a firm cover or folder with rings or clasps for holding loose sheets of paper together
a material used to bind separate particles together, give an appropriate consistency, or facilitate adhesion to a surface

a person who binds books; bookbinder
a machine that is used to bind books

something used to fasten or tie, such as rope or twine
(nz, informal) a square meal
(obsolete) also called reaper binder. a machine for cutting grain and binding it into bundles or sheaves compare combine harvester
an informal agreement giving insurance coverage pending formal issue of a policy
a tie, beam, or girder, used to support floor joists
a stone for binding masonry; bondstone
the nonvolatile component of the organic media in which pigments are dispersed in paint
(in systemic grammar) a word that introduces a bound clause; a subordinating conjunction or a relative pr-noun compare linker (sense 2)
n.