English
brace
see also: Brace
Pronunciation Noun

brace (plural braces)

  1. (obsolete) Armor for the arm; vambrace.
  2. (obsolete) A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms.
  3. A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
  4. That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
  5. A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
  6. A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.
    • The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as the braces of the war drum do in that.
  7. The state of being braced or tight; tension.
    • the laxness of the tympanum, when it has lost its brace or tension
  8. Harness; warlike preparation.
    • c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act I, scene iii]:
      for that it stands not in such warlike brace
  9. (typography) A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in {role, roll}; in music, used to connect staves.
  10. A pair, a couple; originally used of dogs, and later of animals generally (e.g., a brace of conies) and then other things, but rarely human persons. (The plural in this sense is unchanged.) In British use (as plural), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.
    • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 5 scene 1
      But you, my brace of lords, were I so minded,
      I here could pluck his highness' frown upon you,
      And justify you traitors
    • April 23 1716, Joseph Addison, The Freeloader No. 36
      He is said to have shot […] fifty brace of pheasants.
    • 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church History of Britain
      A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and religion, now appeared in the church.
  11. A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell.
  12. (nautical) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
  13. (UK, Cornwall, mining) The mouth of a shaft.
  14. (UK, mostly, in the plural) Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
  15. (plural in North America, singular or plural in the UK) A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite.
  16. (soccer) Two goals scored by one player in a game.
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • German: Brasse
  • Russian: брас
Translations Translations Verb

brace (braces, present participle bracing; past and past participle braced)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow.
    All hands, brace for impact!
    Brace yourself!
    The boy has no idea about everything that's been going on. You need to brace him for what's about to happen.
  2. To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.
    He braced himself against the crowd.
  3. (nautical) To swing round the yards of a square rigged ship, using braces, to present a more efficient sail surface to the direction of the wind.
    to brace the yards
  4. To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
  5. To confront with questions, demands or requests.
  6. To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.
    to brace a beam in a building
  7. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.
    to brace the nerves
    • And welcome war to brace her drums.
  8. To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.
    • 1693, [John Locke], “§12”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], OCLC 1161614482 ↗:
      The women of China […] , by bracing and binding them [their feet] from their infancy, have very little feet.
    • 1815, Walter Scott, Lord of the Isles
      some who spurs had first braced on}}
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Related terms
Brace
Proper noun
  1. Surname


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