51³Ō¹Ļ

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View synonyms for

brace

[breys]

noun

  1. something that holds parts together or in place, as a clasp or clamp.

    Synonyms:
  2. anything that imparts rigidity or steadiness.

  3. Building Trades.Ģża piece of timber, metal, etc., for supporting or positioning another piece or portion of a framework.

    Synonyms: , ,
  4. Orthodontics.ĢżUsually braces an appliance made of metal or plastic, worn on the surface of the teeth to straighten them through gradual pressure: The patient needed a brace only on the upper teeth.

    I wore braces for several years.

    The patient needed a brace only on the upper teeth.

  5. Medicine/Medical.Ģżan appliance or compression sleeve for supporting a weak joint or joints.

  6. Printing.Ģżcurly bracket.

  7. Music.Ģżconnected staves one below the other, such as for different voices or instruments, or for left and right hand in keyboard music.

  8. Chiefly British.Ģżbraces suspenders.

  9. a pair; couple.

    The hunter had a brace of hounds at his side.

  10. Also called bitbrace, bitstock.ĢżMachinery.Ģża device for holding and turning a bit for boring or drilling.

  11. Music.Ģżleather loops sliding upon the tightening cords of a drum to change their tension and the drum's pitch.

  12. Nautical.Ģż(on a square-rigged ship) a rope by which a yard is swung about and secured horizontally.

  13. a protective band covering the wrist or lower part of the arm, especially one worn in archery to protect the bow hand from the snap of the bowstring.

  14. Military.Ģża position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.



verb (used with object)

braced, bracing 
  1. to furnish, fasten, or strengthen with or as if with a brace.

    Synonyms: , ,
  2. to fix firmly; make steady; secure against pressure or impact.

    He braces himself when the ship rolls. Brace yourself for some bad news.

  3. to make tight; increase the tension of.

    Synonyms: ,
  4. to act as a stimulant to.

    Synonyms:
  5. Nautical.Ģżto swing or turn around (the yards of a ship) by means of the braces.

  6. Military.Ģżto order (a subordinate) to assume and maintain a position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.

verb (used without object)

braced, bracing 
  1. Military.Ģżto assume a position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.

verb phrase

  1. NauticalĢżto brace (the yards of a square-rigged vessel) more nearly athwartships, as for running free.

brace

/ ²ś°ł±šÉŖ²õ /

noun

  1. In full: hand brace.Ģża hand tool for drilling holes, with a socket to hold the drill at one end and a cranked handle by which the tool can be turned See also brace and bit

  2. something that steadies, binds, or holds up another thing

  3. a structural member, such as a beam or prop, used to stiffen a framework

  4. a sliding loop, usually of leather, attached to the cords of a drum: used to change its tension

  5. a pair; two, esp of game birds

    a brace of partridges

  6. either of a pair of characters, { }, used for connecting lines of printing or writing or as a third sign of aggregation in complex mathematical or logical expressions that already contain parentheses and square brackets

  7. Also called: accolade.Ģża line or bracket connecting two or more staves of music

  8. (often plural) an appliance of metal bands and wires that can be tightened to maintain steady pressure on the teeth for correcting uneven alignment

  9. med any of various appliances for supporting the trunk, a limb, or teeth

  10. another word for bracer 2

  11. (in square-rigged sailing ships) a rope that controls the movement of a yard and thus the position of a sail

  12. See braces

ā€œCollins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridgedā€ 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to provide, strengthen, or fit with a brace

  2. to steady or prepare (oneself or something) as before an impact

  3. (also intr) to stimulate; freshen; invigorate

    sea air is bracing

  4. to control the horizontal movement of (the yards of a square-rigged sailing ship)

ā€œCollins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridgedā€ 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51³Ō¹Ļ Forms

  • overbrace verb (used with object)
  • rebrace verb (used with object)
  • underbrace verb (used with object)
  • well-braced adjective
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51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins

Origin of brace1

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French: ā€œpair of arms,ā€ from Latin ²ś°łÄå(³¦)³¦³ó¾±²¹ plural (taken as feminine singular) of ²ś°łÄå(³¦)³¦³ó¾±³Ü³¾ ā€œarmā€ (from Greek; brachium ); (for the verb) in part Middle English bracen (from Anglo-French bracier, derivative of brace; embrace 1 ), in part derivative of the noun
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51³Ō¹Ļ History and Origins

Origin of brace1

C14: from Old French: the two arms, from Latin bracchia arms
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. brace up, to summon up one's courage; become resolute.

    She choked back her tears and braced up.

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Synonym Study

See pair.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Citizens Advice Guernsey said it had not yet observed an increase in islanders asking for help about electricity bills but it was bracing an increased number of calls when tariffs rise.

From

It’s a bracingly vulnerable track for a boy band to write in any era of masculinity.

From

After days of fiery protest against federal immigration raids, Los Angeles residents and officials braced for the arrival of hundreds of U.S.

From

I remember playing shows 10 years ago, and I had two knee braces on.

From

Flores used galvanized steel braces to attach a series of ladders to the ash tree’s trunk.

From

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Related 51³Ō¹Ļs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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