bonding

/ˈbɑndɪŋ/

/ˈbɒndɪŋ/

Other forms: bondings

Bonding is what happens when you develop a close emotional connection with another person, or when two things are fastened together. Touching your tongue to a frozen flagpole is one way of bonding, though this is not recommended.

When a baby hippo in the zoo snuggles up to her mother, bonding is happening. And though it may not seem like it, even sitting for hours in the backseat with your annoying little brother is a kind of bonding, or building a relationship through constant contact. In addition to this emotional bonding, there's a physical kind of bonding, like when you superglue a quarter to the floor to trick your little brother.

Definitions of bonding

1. noun

   the act of fastening firmly together
   synonyms: soldering

   type of:

   attachment, fastening

   the act of fastening things together
2. noun

   (dentistry) a technique for repairing a tooth; resinous material is applied to the surface of the tooth where it adheres to the tooth's enamel
   type of:

   technique

   a practical method or art applied to some particular task
3. noun

   a close personal relationship that forms between people (as between husband and wife or parent and child)
   types:

   female bonding

   the formation of a close personal relationship between women

   male bonding

   the formation of a close personal relationship between men

   maternal-infant bonding

   the attachment that forms between an infant and its mother beginning at birth

   type of:

   personal relation, personal relationship

   a relation between persons