bend to someone's will

Meaning

To submit, yield, or give in to someone else's demands, wishes, or control, often after resisting. This expression usually implies a power struggle where one person eventually surrenders their own desires to please or obey another.

Examples

• She refused to bend to her parents' will and chose her own career path.

  She refused to bend to her parents' will and chose her own career path.

• After hours of intense negotiations, the committee finally bent to the mayor's will.

  After hours of intense negotiations, the committee finally bent to the mayor's will.

• A strong leader should listen to advice but never simply bend to the will of the loudest voices.

  A strong leader should listen to advice but never simply bend to the will of the loudest voices.

• He felt like he was constantly bending to his partner's will just to avoid arguments.

  He felt like he was constantly bending to his partner's will just to avoid arguments.

• The small business refused to bend to the will of the massive corporation.

  The small business refused to bend to the will of the massive corporation.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He bent to his boss's wish.

  ✓ He bent to his boss's will.

  The idiom specifically uses the noun 'will' (meaning determination or desire), not 'wish' or 'want'.

• ✗ She bent her will to him.

  ✓ She bent to his will.

  The correct structure is 'to bend to [someone's] will,' meaning you yield to their control, not that you bend your own will.

Related Expressions

Practice

• I am tired of always having to ___ just to keep the peace.

  💡 Think of yielding to someone's strong desires or demands.

  Show answer

  bend to your will

• The stubborn child refused to ___ of his teachers.

  💡 Use 'bend to' followed by 'the will'.

  Show answer

  bend to the will