bind.In a Strategic Bind, Israel Weighs Freeing Hostages Against Destroying Hamas

 

In a Strategic Bind, Israel Weighs Freeing Hostages Against Destroying Hamas

Some Israeli commanders said the two goals were incompatible. Eradicating Hamas would mean a lengthy war that would most likely cost the hostages’ lives.

bind

/bʌɪnd/

verb

1. 1.

   tie or fasten (something) tightly together.

   "they bound her hands and feet"

   Similar:

   tie

   tie up

   fasten (together)

   hold together

   secure

   make fast

   attach

   rope

   strap

   lash

   truss

   tether

   hitch

   chain

   fetter

   pinion

   shackle

   hobble

   moor

   Opposite:

   untie

   release
2. 2.

   stick together or cause to stick together in a single mass.

   "mix the flour with the coconut and enough egg white to bind them"

   Similar:

   stick

   cohere

noun

1. 1.

   a problematical situation.

   "he is in a bind that gets worse with every passing minute"

   Similar:

   predicament

   awkward situation

   quandary

   dilemma

   plight

   difficult situation

   cleft stick

   mess

   quagmire

   impasse

   double bind

   spot

   tight spot

   hole
2. 2.

   FORMAL

   a statutory constraint.

   "the moral bind of the law"