Well if you're playing on a classical guitar, bending is something you lock up in a box and put away forever. On a nylon classical guitar, bending barely gets you even close to a half step on the first 5 frets, the strings are too stiff and can't be pushed really far. It's when you get down to the 7th fret where you can finally bend the 7b9 or 10b12, and that involves pushing real hard past about two other strings and digging them into the tips of your fingers right where the nail starts. it's easier to slide to the note your bending to if your playing on a classical guitar.

On an electric guitar, bending is one of the best skills you can learn. You can bend up a whole step without pushing the string past two other strings and it can be done anywhere on the fretboard. So depending on which guitar you are playing, bending can have different meanings.

(on a steel string acoustic, bending is somewhat in between)