Bender
/ˈbɛndər/
Definitions
2 meaningsAn episode of excessive drinking; a spree.
/ˈbɛndər/
A period of excessive drinking.
They went on a three-day bender.
💡 Simply: A long period of heavy drinking.
More Examples
After the bender, he felt terrible.
How It's Used
"We went on a bit of a bender last night."
A bend or curve; something bent out of shape.
/ˈbɛndər/
Something that is bent or curved.
The pipe had a sharp bender.
💡 Simply: Something that is curved or bent.
More Examples
The road had a gentle bender.
How It's Used
"The metal experienced a significant bender during the impact."
Idioms & expressions
on a bender
Engaging in excessive drinking.
"He's been on a bender for a week."
From Middle English *bendere, from Old English *bend(e)re, agent noun from bendan "to bend". The modern meaning evolved from the sense of a person who bends things, to a period of excessive drinking.
While the word 'bender' has always had a connection to bending, the association with heavy drinking is a more recent development, emerging in the 20th century.
Memory tip
Think of bending over from too much alcohol.