Illustration of brig
1
: a place (as on a ship) for temporary confinement of offenders in the U.S. Navy
2
: guardhouse, prison
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A two-masted sailing ship with square rigging on both masts is called a brig. Brigs were both naval and merchant (mercantile) vessels. As merchantmen, they often followed coastal trading routes. However, ocean voyages were not uncommon, and some were even used for whaling and sealing. Naval brigs carried 10–20 guns on a single deck. In the 18th and 19th centuries, they served as couriers for battle fl eets and as training vessels for cadets. Brigs of the early US Navy won distinction on the Great Lakes in the War of 1812. Because square rigging required a large crew, merchant brigs became uneconomical, and in the 19th century they began to give way to vessels such as the schooner and the bark.
Synonyms
Noun (2)
Examples of brig in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2023
Scheller was being held in pre-trial confinement at the brig at Camp Lejeune.
—David Martin, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2021
The Navy booked Mays into the brig on Aug. 20, 2020.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 23 Sep. 2022
Mays, who was arrested Aug. 20, 2020, and placed in confinement, was released from the brig in October 2020 as NCIS pivoted to this second suspect, according to Gary Barthel, who was Mays’ civilian attorney at the time.
—Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2022
Is there a brig aboard a submarine?
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 4 Jan. 2022
According to the Marine Corps, Willy Joseph Cancel Jr. spent nearly four years in the Marine Corps and received a bad conduct discharge, leaving the service as a private in November after serving time in the brig for an undisclosed criminal offense.
—New York Times, 29 Apr. 2022
He is currently being held in the brig.
—David Martin, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2021
In the case of Graham, when his true age was found out, he was sent to the brig, stripped of his medals and benefits, and was relieved of service.
—Seth Combs Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2021
Noun
On the defense’s side: Lieutenant Barney Greenwald (Jason Clarke), who’s claiming that Maryk shouldn’t be thrown in the brig because the man at the helm of the ship had lost his marbles, and thus was endangering the lives of the entire crew.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2023
Scheller was being held in pre-trial confinement at the brig at Camp Lejeune.
—David Martin, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2021
The Navy booked Mays into the brig on Aug. 20, 2020.
—Megan Rose, ProPublica, 23 Sep. 2022
Mays, who was arrested Aug. 20, 2020, and placed in confinement, was released from the brig in October 2020 as NCIS pivoted to this second suspect, according to Gary Barthel, who was Mays’ civilian attorney at the time.
—Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2022
Is there a brig aboard a submarine?
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 4 Jan. 2022
According to the Marine Corps, Willy Joseph Cancel Jr. spent nearly four years in the Marine Corps and received a bad conduct discharge, leaving the service as a private in November after serving time in the brig for an undisclosed criminal offense.
—New York Times, 29 Apr. 2022
He is currently being held in the brig.
—David Martin, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2021
In the case of Graham, when his true age was found out, he was sent to the brig, stripped of his medals and benefits, and was relieved of service.
—Seth Combs Writer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brig.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near brig
Cite this Entry
“Brig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brig. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brig
1 of 2 noun
: a square-rigged sailing ship with two masts
brig
2 of 2 noun
: a place (as on a ship) for temporary imprisonment of offenders in the U.S. Navy
Legal Definition
brig
noun1
: a place (as on a ship) for temporary confinement of offenders in the United States Navy
2
: a military prison
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