Word.ws English Dictionary

bend over backward

bend over backward is the alternative form of bend over backwards.

Meaning of bend over backwards

Verb

bend over backwards (third-person singular simple present bends over backwards, present participle bending over backwards, simple past and past participle bent over backwards)

  1. (idiomatic, informal) To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.
    • They bent over backwards to make sure everything was just right for the visit.
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bend over, backwards.

Forms of bend over backward

third-person singular presentbends over backward
present participlebending over backward
past participlebent over backward
pastbent over backward

Questions about bend over backward

What is bend over backward the alternative form of?
Bend over backward is the alternative form of bend over backwards.

Words near bend over backward in the dictionary

  1. bend it like Beckham
  2. Bend of Islands
  3. bend one off
  4. bend one's elbow
  5. bend over
  6. bend over backward
  7. bend over backwards
  8. bend sinister
  9. bend someone's ear
  10. bend someone's will
  11. bend the brain

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: bend over backward (page history and authors); bend over backwards (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “bend over backward.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/bend_over_backward. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.