Word.ws English Dictionary

bending over backwards

bending over backwards is the present participle and gerund 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.

Questions about bending over backwards

What is bending over backwards the present participle and gerund of?
Bending over backwards is the present participle and gerund of bend over backwards.

Words near bending over backwards in the dictionary

  1. bending it like Beckham
  2. bending one off
  3. bending one's elbow
  4. bending over
  5. bending over backward
  6. bending over backwards
  7. bending someone's ear
  8. bending someone's will
  9. bending the brain
  10. bending the knee
  11. bending the rules

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: bending over backwards (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: “bending over backwards.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/bending_over_backwards. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.