IN A BIND Definition & Meaning

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in a bind

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Idioms and Phrases

Also, in a box or hole or jam or tight corner or tight spot . In a difficult, threatening, or embarrassing position; also, unable to solve a dilemma. For example, He's put us in a bind: we can't refuse, but at the same time we can't fill the order , or Jim's in a box; he can't afford to pay what he owes us , or He quit without giving notice and now we're really in a hole , or We always end up in a jam during the holiday season , or He's in a tight corner with those new customers , or We'll be in a tight spot unless we can find another thousand dollars . All these colloquial terms allude to places from which one can't easily extricate oneself. The phrase using bind was first recorded in 1851; box , 1865; jam , 1914; tight spot , 1852. Also see in a fix .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The Clippers cut their deficit to eight at the end of the first half but were sluggish to start the third quarter, putting them in a bind again.

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Stephen Mumme, a political science professor at Colorado State University who is an expert in the treaty, said low water levels have left Sheinbaum in a bind: “There’s only so much Mexico can do.”

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Thus, recipients are in a bind.

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Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky is in a bind.

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This places the French police in a bind: They are trying to save lives.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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