binder

[ bahyn-der ]

noun

1. a person or thing that binds.
2. a detachable cover, resembling the cover of a notebook or book, with clasps or rings for holding loose papers together:

   a three-ring binder.

3. a person who binds books; a bookbinder.
4. Insurance. an agreement by which property or liability coverage is granted pending issuance of a policy.
5. Agriculture.
   1. an attachment to a harvester or reaper for binding the cut grain.
   2. Also called self-binder. a machine that cuts and binds grain.
6. any substance that causes the components of a mixture to cohere:

   Eggs, dairy, and gelatin are common binders in traditional recipes that vegan bakers have to replace.

7. Painting. a component of paint in which pigment is suspended.
8. (in powder metallurgy) a substance for holding compacted metal powder together while it is being sintered.
9. Building Trades.
   1. a stone, as a perpend, for bonding masonry.
   2. a girder supporting the ends of two sets of floor joists.
   3. a substance for holding loose material together, as water or tar in a macadamized road, or polyurethane in polymer concrete.
   4. stirrup ( def 4 ).
10. Also called chest binder. a compression garment for temporarily flattening a person's breast tissue, often used by gender-diverse people as part of their gender expression:

    My new binder gets my chest pretty flat, and it's more comfortable than my old one.

11. British, Australian Slang. a large quantity, especially of food.

binder

/ ˈbaɪndə /

noun

1. a firm cover or folder with rings or clasps for holding loose sheets of paper together
2. a material used to bind separate particles together, give an appropriate consistency, or facilitate adhesion to a surface
3. 1. a person who binds books; bookbinder
   2. a machine that is used to bind books
4. something used to fasten or tie, such as rope or twine
5. informal.
   a square meal
6. obsolete.
   Also calledreaper binder a machine for cutting grain and binding it into bundles or sheaves Compare combine harvester
7. an informal agreement giving insurance coverage pending formal issue of a policy
8. a tie, beam, or girder, used to support floor joists
9. a stone for binding masonry; bondstone
10. the nonvolatile component of the organic media in which pigments are dispersed in paint
11. (in systemic grammar) a word that introduces a bound clause; a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun Compare linker

Word History and Origins

Origin of binder¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English; bind, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Chest binders are used by some girls and women to wrap their breasts tightly and hide them.

From BBC

In this adaptation, a doctor's white coat is hanging up and case files in brown binders labelled March Hare, Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit and Alice, are strewn across a desk.

From BBC

So one day, they broached the topic of buying a chest binder.

From Los Angeles Times

Concrete is made from sand, gravel, water, and cement, which serves as a binder.

From Science Daily

International Klein Blue, or I.K.B. for short, is a combination of ultramarine pigment and a chemist’s polymer binder that keeps it from fading.

From New York Times

Related Words

• folder
• notebook