They were bound to notice

[kyondaime]

Hi,
Flocks of owls.... shooting stars.. Well, they are not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something.

Does "They were bound to" mean They are supposed to notice something?

I found in the dictionary that bound to means likely or sure but I think that "supposed" is more suitable in this sentence. What do you think?

Thank you

 

[Uncle Jack]

Does "They were bound to" mean They are supposed to notice something?

No. They were (reasonably) certain to notice something. It would be unreasonable to expect them not to notice.

"Supposed" conveys the wrong meaning, implying that their noticing something was the intention. Really, as I recall, it was unintentional.

Please remember to say where quotes are from. This is from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling.

 

[kentix]

Yes, it's about odds, not intentions. "Bound to" means overwhelmingly likely to.

 

[kyondaime]

Thank you so much for your responses. Yes it is from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling.