Bound, we hear to the general course (4)
I believe the answer is:
tide
'the general course' is the definition.
'tide' can be an answer for 'course' (thesaurus). I am unsure of the 'the general' bit.
'bound we hear' is the wordplay.
'bound' becomes 'tied' ('tie' can be a synonym of 'bind').
'we hear' shows a homophone (sound like).
'tied' is a homophone of 'TIDE'.
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tide that I've seen before include "Ocean phase" , "Ebber and flower?" , "Current, ebb" , "Ebb and flow of water" , "Periodic flow" .)