brace

1 of 2

verb

ˈbrās 

braced; bracing

transitive verb

1

a

: prepare, steel

brace yourself for the shock

b

: invigorate, freshen

… I took the shower and it braced me up a bit.

—Raymond Chandler

c

: to prepare for use by making taut

brace a drum

2

a

: to furnish or support with a brace (see brace entry 2 sense 1)

heavily braced against the wind

b

: to make stronger : reinforce

nerves … braced by long familiarity with danger

—T. B. Macaulay

3

: to put or plant firmly

braces his foot in the stirrup

4

nautical : to turn (a sail yard) by means of a brace (see brace entry 2 sense 1e)

5

: to waylay especially with demands or questions : confront

when braced, Willie had naturally denied his identity

—Time

6

archaic : to fasten tightly : bind

intransitive verb

1

: to get ready (as for an attack)

brace for the storm

2

: to take heart

—used with up

brace up and do something

—Upton Sinclair

brace

2 of 2

noun

plural braces

1

: something that transmits, directs, resists, or supports weight or pressure: such as

a

: a diagonal piece of structural material that serves to strengthen something (such as a framework)

walls held up with braces

b

medical : an appliance for supporting a body part

has braces on his legs

a neck brace

c

braces plural, dentistry : an orthodontic appliance usually of metallic wire that is used especially to exert pressure to straighten misaligned teeth

had braces as a teenager

d

British braces plural, clothing : suspenders

e

nautical : a rope rove through a block at the end of a ship's yard (see yard entry 4 sense 3) to swing it horizontally

2

a

: one of two marks { } used to connect words or items to be considered together

b

music : one of these marks connecting two or more musical staffs (see staff entry 1 sense 3) carrying parts to be performed simultaneously

c

: bracket sense 3a

numbers written in braces

3

or plural brace : two of a kind : pair

several brace of quail

4

: something (such as a clasp) that connects or fastens

5

: a crank-shaped instrument for turning a bit (see bit entry 1 sense 1a(2))

6

: a position of rigid attention

on review, his uniform and brace were technically correct

—Time

7

: something that arouses energy or strengthens morale

Synonyms

Verb

• amp (up)
• animate
• energize
• enliven
• fillip
• fire
• ginger (up)
• invigorate
• jazz (up)
• juice up
• jump-start
• liven (up)
• pep (up)
• quicken
• spike
• stimulate
• vitalize
• vivify
• zip (up)

Noun

• buttress
• mount
• mounting
• prop
• reinforcement
• shore
• spur
• stay
• support
• underpinning

Examples of brace in a Sentence

Verb

He braced the gate with a piece of wood.

Steel columns brace the structure.

She braced herself with one hand and reached up with the other.

Noun

We need to add some sort of brace to hold the shelf in place.

He could walk with braces on his legs.

She wears a back brace.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Trump’s second-term agenda includes a host of ideas that higher-ed execs are already bracing against. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Cancer screening is about staying informed and knowing what to do next, not bracing for the worst. —Robin Cole, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024

In Vermont — which was bracing for some 160,000 visitors — municipal garages in Burlington were full by 11 a.m. ET, more than four hours ahead of totality. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 8 Apr. 2024

The Black Keys are renowned for their bracing garage rock, an elastic intertwining of blues and fuzzy guitars that has garnered them critical acclaim and a string of hits. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Some on Wall Street are even braced for Tesla’s first sales decline since the early days of the pandemic. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024

College hoops fans who want to watch the last four women's teams battle it out in this year's edition of the March Madness tournament in person may want to brace for sticker shock. —Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024

But amid a tough budget, strained by factors including flat revenue and the expiration of one-time pandemic aid, some city agencies are bracing for cuts. —Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Norman Mailer wrote with an unstable mixture of self-indulgence and self-awareness, bravado and diffidence, glibness and bracing honesty, macho posturing and an almost sheepish gentleness. —Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 28 Mar. 2024

Noun

Once a kid who wore leg braces until age 5 after developing rickets, Simpson went on to become one of the greatest running backs of all time. —Emma Bowman, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024

Along the way, industrialists learned that the poor posture epidemic was good for business, leading to new, lucrative markets in ergonomic chairs, back braces, shoes, and fitness regimes, such as yoga and Pilates. —Beth Linker, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024

The operation, which will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Texas, will be a hybrid surgery of UCL reconstruction with a brace — the same surgery Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara underwent in October. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024

The Kansas City area’s risk of severe weather increased Monday afternoon, as the central U.S. braces for hail, strong winds and tornadoes from powerful storms, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2024

With fewer options, South L.A. braces for bigger bills at fast-food restaurants. —Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024

Back support belts or braces Remember the advice to get exercise, seek out physical therapists, and invest in self-care? —Ali Finney, SELF, 28 Mar. 2024

One injury update: DJ Jeffries, the Bulldogs’ senior guard, wore a hip brace on the bench at that last timeout. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2024

Blair was seen wearing a knee brace during Friday’s baseball game. —Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French bracer to embrace, from brace

Noun

Middle English, clasp, pair, from Anglo-French, pair of arms, pair, support, from Latin bracchia, plural of bracchium arm, from Greek brachiōn, from comparative of brachys short — more at brief

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 6

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing brace

• brace yourself
• curly brace
• halo brace
• brace root

Kids Definition

brace

1 of 2 verb

ˈbrās 

braced; bracing

1

a

: to make firm or tight

b

: to get ready : prepare

braced herself for the test

2

: to furnish or support with a brace

3

: to give life or energy to : freshen

4

: to place firmly

5

: to regain one's courage

brace up, all is not lost

brace

2 of 2 noun

plural braces or brace

1

: two of a kind : pair

several brace of quail

2

: something that connects, fastens, or tightens

3

: a tool with a U-shaped bend that is used to turn wood-boring bits

4

a

: something that transfers, resists, or supports weight or pressure

especially : a slanted timber used as a support in a structure

b

plural : suspender sense 2

c

: a device for supporting a body part (as the shoulders)

d

plural : a usually wire device attached to the teeth to make them straight and pull them into position

5

a

: a mark { or } used to connect words or items or musical staffs that are to be considered together

b

: one of a pair of such marks enclosing words or symbols

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bracen "to fasten, bind," from early French bracer "to embrace," from brace "pair of arms," derived from Latin bracchium "arm" — related to bracelet, brassiere, embrace see Word History at embrace

Noun

Middle English brace "pair, clasp," from early French brace "pair of arms," derived from Latin bracchium "arm" — related to pretzel see Word History at pretzel

Medical Definition

brace

1 of 2 noun

ˈbrās 

1

: an appliance that gives support to movable parts (as a joint or a fractured bone), to weak muscles (as in paralysis), or to strained ligaments (as of the lower back)

2

braces plural : an orthodontic appliance usually of metallic wire that is used especially to exert pressure to straighten misaligned teeth and that is not removable by the patient

brace

2 of 2 transitive verb

braced; bracing

: to furnish or support with a brace