bounds 1 of 4

noun (1)

plural of bound
1
as in limits
a real or imaginary point beyond which a person or thing cannot go the language in the novel really is beyond the bounds of decency

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in confines
the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something colored outside the bounds of the drawing

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bounds

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural of bound
as in leaps
an act of leaping into the air the kangaroo took one giant bound and was gone

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bounds

3 of 4

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of bound
1
as in defines
to mark the limits of the country is bounded by water on two sides

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2
as in borders
to serve as a border for being bounded on all sides by the Alps has helped Switzerland maintain its neutrality

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bounds

4 of 4

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of bound
1
as in hops
to move with a light springing step the child giggled and bounded off to play with her friends

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jumps
to propel oneself upward or forward into the air a rabbit bounded down the garden path

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bounds
Noun
And in this case, Black's lawsuit states, the panel has overstepped those bounds. — Bill Chappell, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026 But the Venezuela deal further stretches the bounds of its mandate, involving oil instead of a classic critical technology, and has already prompted Democrats to vow to investigate. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Then came Bourdain, whose devotion to The Deuce held no bounds. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026 In the preseason finale, a 9-9 tie with the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead, Butker pushed a 57-yard attempt wide right in the third quarter and sent a kickoff out of bounds, giving Seattle the ball at the 40. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Sep. 2026 Geneva’s Tate Beran caught the ball near the 20-yard hash mark but was unable to run out of bounds before time expired. — Jerry Birchfield, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026 Only got off a punt out of bounds at around the line of scrimmage. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Milton, though, was flushed from the pocket, and a late throw to Brown sailed out of bounds. — Daniel Popper, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Taylor dropped back three steps and arced a jump ball into the corner over Barron and into the mitts of Sheppard, who appeared to scrape both toes along the turf before the Broncos’ stopper shoved him out of bounds. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
With the sprightly energy of a schoolboy, Jean-Paul Doron bounds into an empty creek, his red suede shoes scraping pale rocks. — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026 Over a century later, the Himalayan blackberry has spread far beyond the modest backyard bounds its importers envisioned, opting instead to take over indiscriminately and displace the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in the process. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2026 Oprah Winfrey bounds into view in a white dress. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 June 2026 Something as simple as adding a tablespoon of fresh ground flax or chia seeds to a smoothie can do leaps and bounds improvement in the microbiome itself. — Suzanne Le Mignot, CBS News, 24 May 2026 Sister typically bounds around on their walks, but Bowen said the tiny dog kept sitting still on the road. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2026 As Sac State bounds into the 2026 season as a first-time member of the FBS in the Mid-American Conference, Carter said his squad will not lack in effort. — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 27 Apr. 2026 Her 3-point shooting has jumped leaps and bounds from the early part of her college career. — Matthew Coller, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2026 Taking photos with the device so many people have in their pockets is leaps and bounds beyond photography equipment used during Apollo 17 – even the 1960s-era 35mm camera. — Jennifer Levasseur, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bounds
  1. limits
  2. boundaries
  3. leaps
  4. defines
  5. borders
  6. hops
  7. jumps
  8. limitations
Noun
  • This award recognized the engineering that helped concrete arch construction move past limits that had held back similar projects for decades.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Depleted underground aquifers and limits on the state’s draw of water from Lake Michigan could constrain data center growth.
    — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of limits
Noun
  • Yet even as his tenure enters its countdown, Duffy continues to lead a critical fight over the regulatory boundaries of derivatives markets.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The boundaries were first tested by radio stations, with LBC and TalkRadio featuring more political presenters, including politicians.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of boundaries
Noun
  • Mobile networks, radar systems, and even satellite communication have made major technological leaps in the past couple of decades, but there is much that can be further improved.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Fast forward to this year’s Spring Festival Gala, and Unitree again impressed the crowd with its robots’ more advanced moves that included backflips and leaps over platforms.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of leaps
Verb
  • Pool companies, professionals and builders can embrace this consumer shift and provide an all-encompassing experience that defines what pool ownership will look like going forward.
    — Jon Viner, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The museum defines an unprovoked attack as when a shark bites a human in its own habitat without any provocation by the human.
    — Heather McCarron, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of defines
Verb
  • Hamas is the terrorist organization that controls Gaza, which borders Israel.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Mexican navy searched a vast area of the Pacific Ocean by sea and air, eventually finding the two men floating in a large fishing cooler about 150 miles off the coast of Chiapas, a southern state in Mexico that borders Guatemala.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of borders
Verb
  • His Samoyed hops up and finds a spot between the athlete’s legs and the sofa’s back pillows.
    — Nick Remsen, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Bavik keeps things classic, brewing with 100% malt and aroma hops, then letting the beer chill out for an extended cold maturation.
    — Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of hops
Verb
  • O'Malley beat Song by decision at UFC 324 in January, which is the wrinkle in any case that jumps him.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • On top of this, season 2 jumps around in time quite a bit, further putting a strain on your ability to follow narrative threads.
    — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of jumps
Noun
  • Transplants of muscle stem cells are a promising avenue for research, having distinct advantages over other tissues in their ability to encourage the growth of new blood vessels and limitations on rapid growth.
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The technology is designed to overcome the limitations created by separate hardware architectures, kinematic models, and control systems traditionally used across different types of ground robots.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of limitations

Phrases Containing bounds

Browse Nearby Words

boundlessness
bounds
bounteous
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Cite this Entry

“Bounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bounds. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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