1. To put (a person) under a bond or other legal obligation to do something, esp. to appear in court.
2. To hold (a person) for trial; to turn (a defendant) over to a sheriff or warden for imprisonment pending further judicial action. • A court may bind over a defendant if it finds at a preliminary examination that there is enough evidence to require a trial on the charges against the defendant. [Cases: Criminal Law 240. C.J.S. Criminal Law § 353.] — binding over, n. — bindover, adj.