brace

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: trace, grace, brave, race, brake, brame, brach, bract, brae, brack, arace

Antonyms: trace, grace, brave, race, brake, brame, brach, bract, brae, brack, arace

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

A [[curved]] [[instrument]] or [[handle]] of [[iron]] or [[wood]], for holding and turning bits, etc.; a [[bitstock]].
That which [[hold]]s anything [[tightly]] or [[supports]] it [[firmly]]; a bandage or a prop.
A [[cord]], [[ligament]], or [[rod]], for producing or maintaining [[tension]].
A thong used to regulate the tension of a [[drum]].
The state of being braced or tight; tension.
Harness; warlike preparation.
{{lb|en|typography}} A [[curved]], [[pointed]] [[line]], also known as "[[curly bracket]]": { or } connecting two or more [[word]]s or lines, which are to be [[consider]]ed together, such as in {[[role]], [[roll]]}; in [[music]], used to [[connect]] [[stave]]s.
{{lb|en|collective|plural '''''brace'''''}} 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. {{q|In British use (as ''plural''), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.}}
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.
{{lb|en|nautical}} A [[rope]] [[reeved]] through a [[block]] at the end of a [[yard]], by which the yard is moved [[horizontally]]; also, a [[rudder]] [[gudgeon]].
{{lb|en|Britain|Cornwall|mining}} The mouth of a shaft.
{{lb|en|Britain|mostly|in the plural}} Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.

Verb

{{lb|en|transitive|intransitive}} To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow.
To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.
{{lb|en|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 stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
To confront with questions, demands or requests.
To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.
To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.
To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.

Proper noun

{{surname|en|from=Old French}}.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.