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
That is, until the referees wiped it off the board because Bell’s toe had stepped out-of-bounds prior to the catch. — Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026 In his affidavit, Thomson said the nearby suburbs were out of bounds. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 In the same way that no investor would use a securities broker not covered by FINRA, no consumer or business would use an AI product developed outside the bounds of a self-regulatory organization’s standards. — William R. Gruver, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026 But replays showed Washington stepped out of bounds at the Bengals 48. — ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026 The bug must be sorted out, to keep the state within the bounds of constitutionally acceptable cruelty. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2026 That’s not to mention what could be a massively consequential midterm election, fueled by AI anxiety among voters, that could test the bounds of their power. — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The constitutional question has been litigated many times, and by our count, every state or federal appellate court that’s ruled on the issue has concluded that ALPR networks are within bounds of the Fourth Amendment. — Rafael A. Mangual, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 The eastern bounds of the district stretch to the Arden Arcade area and Elder Creek Road at the southeast corner of the district. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 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
  • Both campaigns are also getting crucial assists in targeting Latino voters from independent expenditure groups, which aren’t bound by the same contribution limits as campaigns are.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The European Union’s second-largest economy has repeatedly broken the bloc’s rules on budget deficits and debt limits.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of limits
Noun
  • Officially, commissioners rejected the application because the developer had altered the parcel boundaries to meet the definition of an enclave.
    — Nico Rivero, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The Firebrand and the First Lady demonstrates that the early civil rights movement was built on a foundation of deep, complicated, long-term relationships which traversed the boundaries of both race and class.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of boundaries
Noun
  • The company said the model had demonstrated leaps in completing tasks, but OpenAI needed to balance that capability against unauthorized behavior.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In a world where Cuban reparto music is having viral momentum and making international leaps, there’s Melanie Santiler going against the tide.
    — Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of leaps
Verb
  • First, the platform will provide tags that indicate which election markets are low volume, which Kalshi defines as those with less than $10,000.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Using the scholar’s own words, Baird lays out Said’s role in public life and defines one of his principle intellectual projects.
    — Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of defines
Verb
  • Lithuania, which directly borders Kaliningrad, rejected Moscow’s warning and accused Russia of trying to undermine NATO unity and Western support for Ukraine.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In Moldova -- which borders western Ukraine and is not a NATO member -- the national police force said in a post to Facebook that a drone exploded and damaged a communications antenna in the Anenii Noi district in the center of the country.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of borders
Verb
  • Blanding hops in and out of the truck, grabbing buckets of food scraps from porches and restaurants, piling those scraps into bins in the truck bed and driving them to a composting site.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • For the classy music video, Legend hops behind his Yamaha piano to perform the ethereal track with some help from the Hollywood Cinematic Orchestra, who are suited and booted.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of hops
Verb
  • Literature states that the recurrence rate after one pregnancy is affected by anencephaly jumps dramatically to between 2%-5%.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Its robots physically traveled to Finland and performed the furnace jumps themselves.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of jumps
Noun
  • There were limitations to the study, including the small group of volunteers, which consisted of more women than men, and a lack of variation in dog breeds, Li said.
    — Gina Vivinetto, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026
  • That said, even the most detailed traceability records have their limitations.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

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

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All