the action of fastening or holding together, or of being linked by chemical bonds

the binding of antibodies to cell surfaces

a strong covering holding the pages of a book together

if the binding is preserved, you can read it 200 years hence

a mechanical device fixed to a ski to grip a ski boot, especially either of a pair used for downhill skiing which hold the toe and heel of the boot and release it automatically in a fall

(in Chomskyan linguistics) the relationship between a referentially dependent noun (such as a reflexive) and the independent noun phrase which determines its reference

(of an agreement or promise) involving an obligation that cannot be broken

business agreements are intended to be legally binding

the binding contract specified that 90 days after the submission of invoices the money becomes owed

tie or fasten (something) tightly together

they bound her hands and feet

the logs were bound together with ropes

stick together or cause to stick together in a single mass

mix the flour with the coconut and enough egg white to bind them

clay is made up chiefly of tiny soil particles that bind together tightly

cause (people) to feel united

it's music that has bound us together

we have many ties that bind us—historical, cultural, and economical

impose a legal or contractual obligation on

a party who signs a document will normally be bound by its terms

the council should seek to bind the parties to a programme of environmental improvements

fix together and enclose (the pages of a book) in a cover

a small, fat volume, bound in red morocco

trim (the edge of a piece of material) with a decorative strip

a frill with the edges bound in a contrasting colour

(of a quantifier) be applied to (a given variable) so that the variable falls within its scope. For example, in an expression of the form ‘For every x, if x is a dog, x is an animal’, the universal quantifier is binding the variable x

(of a rule or set of grammatical conditions) determine the relationship between (coreferential noun phrases)