bracket

noun

brack·et | \ ˈbra-kət

Definition of bracket

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an overhanging member that projects from a structure (such as a wall) and is usually designed to support a vertical load or to strengthen an angle

2 : a fixture (as for holding a lamp) projecting from a wall or column

3a : one of a pair of marks [ ] used in writing and printing to enclose matter or in mathematics and logic as signs of aggregation

— called also square bracket

b : one of the pair of marks 〈〉 used to enclose matter

— called also angle bracket

c : parenthesis sense 3

d : brace sense 2b

4 : a section of a continuously numbered or graded series (such as age ranges or income levels)

5 : a pairing of opponents in an elimination tournament

bracket

verb

bracketed; bracketing; brackets

Definition of bracket (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to place within or as if within brackets editorial comments are bracketed news stories bracketed by commercials

b : to eliminate from consideration bracket off politics

c : to extend around so as to encompass : include test pressures … which bracket virtually the entire range of passenger-car tire pressures — Consumer Reports

2 : to furnish or fasten with brackets

3 : to put in the same category or group bracketed in a tie for third

4a : to get the range on (a target) by firing over and short

b : to establish the limits of bracketed the problem neatly

c : to take photographs of at more than one exposure in order to ensure that the desired exposure is obtained

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing bracket Learn More About bracket

Examples of bracket in a Sentence

Noun The shelf is held up with two brackets. There are wall brackets in the garage for the rakes and shovels. She is taller than average for her age bracket. He earned enough to put him in a higher tax bracket. She is now in a lower income bracket than before. Verb I wouldn't exactly bracket your paintings with those of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That’s about half the rate of the top individual income tax bracket, which is 37 percent. — Emily Flitter, New York Times, 28 July 2022 Knocked into the loser’s bracket, the team was forced to win out the rest of their games in order to advance. — Emmett Hall, Sun Sentinel, 28 July 2022 There are two tournaments — high schools (13 to 17 years old) and adult bracket (18 years and older) — this weekend as each team must have at least five players (three playing and two substitution players). — Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 25 July 2022 After surging through the loser’s bracket and staving off elimination in the regional and super regional round, the unranked Longhorns, will play No. 1 Oklahoma in the championship series at the Women’s College World Series. — Dean Ruhl, USA TODAY, 8 June 2022 Tigers are set to play a game against Florida State (34-23) in the winner’s bracket. — Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 4 June 2022 Cathedral Catholic downed Eastlake 4-2 in the loser’s bracket to earn the spot in the if-necessary game vs. Mt. Carmel. — Terry Monahan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2022 What to know: One Cinderella will advance from this bracket, which sees the 17th-seeded Bombers face 25th-seeded Willoughby South in an all-Western Reserve Conference matchup. — Matt Goul, cleveland, 25 May 2022 Here are all the tournament details, including the bracket, schedule, times, TV channels and how to watch livestreams of the games online. — oregonlive, 24 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The conventional wisdom at the time was that personality was fairly fixed from an early age and that personality tests, which ignored the body, could largely bracket one’s range of leadership. — Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 2 July 2022 The story and the colors are used to bracket the beginning and end credits of the documentary. — The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 June 2022 In contrast to such provocateurs as Lars von Trier or Nicolas Winding Refn, who bracket their cinematic endurance tests in compulsory irony, Cronenberg is in some senses a peculiarly earnest filmmaker. — Adam Nayman, The New Yorker, 3 June 2022 The solar eclipses of 1961 and 1999, both observable in Serbia, bracket the events explored in the lyrical imagery of Nataša Urban’s debut feature-length documentary. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 12 Apr. 2022 His paintings bracket three compelling canvases by James Little, whose work in geometric abstraction—executed in oils mixed with beeswax—hinges on its feeling of freedom. — Marley Marius, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2022 Western officials can’t say for certain how an attack on Ukraine might unfold by the more than 100,000 Russian troops that now bracket the country on three sides. — James Marson, WSJ, 12 Feb. 2022 The kickoff temperature was 3 degrees with a minus-14 wind chill at Allianz Field, selected by the U.S. Soccer Federation along with Columbus, Ohio, to bracket a road game against Canada. — Dave Campbell, chicagotribune.com, 3 Feb. 2022 Vocally, the first and last wives bracket the show with two astonishments. — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bracket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.