brace

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

Synonyms of brace

• stimulate
• stir

Examples of brace in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

West Ham are braced for offers for promising midfielder Kante. —Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 5 June 2026

And SpaceX isn't the only colossal market debut investors are now bracing for. —CBS News, 4 June 2026

Although the novel’s center does not quite hold, O’Farrell’s emotional intelligence — the heart and heat of her characters — braces this sometimes unwieldy chronicle of a nation that has been subject to cumbrous historic agonies. —Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026

The order would give officials the chance to brace the economy for security risks. —Ian Duncan, Washington Post, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing brace

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

Rhymes for brace

• ace
• base
• case
• chace
• dace
• face
• grace
• lace
• mace
• pace
• place
• plaice

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

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

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