Bonds

something that binds, fastens, confines, or holds together.
a cord, rope, band, or ligament.
something that binds a person or persons to a certain circumstance or line of behavior:
the bond of matrimony.
something, as an agreement or friendship, that unites individuals or peoples into a group; covenant:
the bond between nations.
binding security; firm assurance:
My word is my bond.
a sealed instrument under which a person, corporation, or government guarantees to pay a stated sum of money on or before a specified day.
any written obligation under seal.
Law. a written promise of a surety.
Government. the state of dutiable goods stored without payment of duties or taxes until withdrawn:
goods in bond.
Also called bonded whiskey. a whiskey that has been aged at least four years in a bonded warehouse before bottling.
Finance. a certificate of ownership of a specified portion of a debt due to be paid by a government or corporation to an individual holder and usually bearing a fixed rate of interest.
Insurance.

a surety agreement.
the money deposited, or the promissory arrangement entered into, under any such agreement.

a substance that causes particles to adhere; binder.
adhesion between two substances or objects, as concrete and reinforcing strands.
Also called chemical bond. Chemistry. the attraction between atoms in a molecule or crystalline structure.
Compare coordinate bond, covalent bond, hydrogen bond, ionic bond, metallic bond.
bond paper.
Masonry.

any of various arrangements of bricks, stones, etc., having a regular pattern and intended to increase the strength or enhance the appearance of a construction.
the overlap of bricks, stones, etc., in a construction so as to increase its strength.

Electricity. an electric conductor placed between adjacent metal parts within a structure, as in a railroad track, aircraft, or house, to prevent the accumulation of static electricity.
Obsolete, bondsman1 .
to put (goods, an employee, official, etc.) on or under bond:
The company refused to bond a former criminal.
to connect or bind.
Finance. to place a bonded debt on or secure a debt by bonds; mortgage.
to join (two materials).
Masonry. to lay (bricks, stones, etc.) so as to produce a strong construction.
Electricity. to provide with a bond:
to bond a railroad track.
to establish a close emotional relationship to or with (another):
the special period when a mother bonds to her infant.
to hold together or cohere, from or as from being bonded, as bricks in a wall or particles in a mass.
Psychology, Animal Behavior. to establish a bonding.
a serf or slave.
in serfdom or slavery.
Contemporary Examples

Rainn Wilson Interviews Himself Rainn Wilson November 4, 2010
Cyprus’s Emotionally Satisfying, But Likely Ineffective ‘Bail-in’ Daniel Gross March 24, 2013
‘Generation Cryo,’ MTV’s New Show About Sperm Donor Babies Finding (Half) Siblings Marlow Stern November 24, 2013
The Social Security ‘Trust Fund’ is Real—but Useless Megan McArdle December 13, 2012
Leave Iran to the Iranians Leslie H. Gelb June 20, 2009

Historical Examples

The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4 George W. M. Reynolds
United States Presidents’ Inaugural Speeches Various
The Escape of Mr. Trimm Irvin S. Cobb
In the Valley Harold Frederic
The Ladies Lindores, Vol. 2(of 3) Margaret Oliphant

noun
Barry (Lamar). born 1964, US baseball player: holder of records for most home runs in a season (73) and a career (762)
noun
something that binds, fastens, or holds together, such as a chain or rope
(often pl) something that brings or holds people together; tie: a bond of friendship
(pl) something that restrains or imprisons; captivity or imprisonment
something that governs behaviour; obligation; duty
a written or spoken agreement, esp a promise: marriage bond
adhesive quality or strength
(finance) a certificate of debt issued in order to raise funds. It carries a fixed rate of interest and is repayable with or without security at a specified future date
(law) a written acknowledgment of an obligation to pay a sum or to perform a contract
(insurance, US & Canadian) a policy guaranteeing payment of a stated sum to an employer in compensation for financial losses incurred through illegal or unauthorized acts of an employee
any of various arrangements of bricks or stones in a wall in which they overlap so as to provide strength
See chemical bond
See bond paper
(commerce) in bond, deposited in a bonded warehouse
verb (mainly transitive)
(also intransitive) to hold or be held together, as by a rope or an adhesive; bind; connect
(aeronautics) to join (metallic parts of an aircraft) together such that they are electrically interconnected
to put or hold (goods) in bond
(law) to place under bond
(finance) to issue bonds on; mortgage
to arrange (bricks, etc) in a bond
noun
Edward. born 1934, British dramatist: his plays, including Saved (1965), Lear (1971), Restoration (1981), and In the Company of Men (1990), are noted for their violent imagery and socialist commitment
n.
v.
bond
(bŏnd)

A force of attraction that holds atoms or ions together in a molecule or crystal. Bonds are usually created by a transfer or sharing of one or more electrons. There are single, double, and triple bonds. See also coordinate bond, covalent bond, ionic bond, metallic bond, polar bond.