bend the knee
To swear fealty or allegiance to another person.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The knight had to bend the knee to his new king.”
“In the old stories, the defeated rebels were forced to bend the knee to the queen to save their lives.”
“The proud lord refused to bend the knee, choosing instead to face exile rather than swear his loyalty to a ruler he despised.”
Calque of Latin genūflectō. Popularized by its use on the television series Game of Thrones (2011-2019).
- 01
bend one's elbow
To drink alcoholic beverages, especially at a public house or bar.
- 02
bend over backwards
To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.
- 03
bend someone's ear
To bore; to talk too long, especially to one particular person.
- 04
bend someone's will
To persuade or otherwise induce someone to change his or her views or to choose a different course of action.
- 05
bend the brain
To be difficult to comprehend.
- 06
bend the truth
To change or leave out certain facts of a story or situation, generally in order to elicit a specific response in the audience.
- 07
bend to one's will
To compel someone or something to conform to one's desires.
- 08
bend to someone's will
To yield to persuasion or other pressure originating from someone.
Last updated August 10, 2026