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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
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 Top Plays Quinn Ewers’ deep ball to rookie receiver Chris Bell landed out of bounds. — Omar Kelly august 26, Miami Herald, 26 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 And after facing game point with a gym full of people waiting to see whether her serve landed in bounds, performing music for a massive crowd can feel comparatively manageable. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Sheppard snagged Tyrod Taylor’s pass, then narrowly got both feet down before going out of bounds. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 Navarro chopped his feet prior to the shot, but Carter dove to his left and pushed the attempt out of bounds. — Daily News, 20 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
  • 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
  • The industry is moving towards prevention, longevity, and highly individualized care, with AI and biotechnology poised to deliver unprecedented performance leaps tailored to biological differences.
    — Laia Farran Graves, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of leaps
Verb
  • What defines these destinations is not just their beauty, but their balance.
    — Sofia Markovich, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Keeping Pluto a dwarf planet better defines what a planet is and prevents an awkward situation in the future in which schoolchildren (and the rest of us) would have to remember upwards of 100 planets.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Aug. 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
  • 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
  • Once the key ingredient in beer, hops, is used in brewing, the plant’s stems and leaves are left over.
    — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 10 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
  • According to a statement by the team, the approach does have limitations.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The authors also noted some study limitations – including potential unvalidated diagnoses and limited socioeconomic and lifestyle data – as well as the associations not proving causation.
    — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of limitations

Phrases Containing bounds

Browse Nearby Words

boundlessness
bounds
bounteous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bounds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bounds. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All