› [after noun] LAW having a legal duty to do something: be bound to do sth Because of international treaty obligations, the Government is legally bound to consider every asylum claim.be bound by sth Many government agencies are bound by a federal order to adequately serve speakers of other languages or risk losing funding. › [before noun] COMMERCE kept at or below an agreed or allowed level: a bound level/rate/tariff Overall, the percentage of developed countries' imports of industrial goods under bound rates rose from 94% to 99%. → Compare bind