Brace

/bɹeɪs/ name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Armor for the arm; vambrace.
  • Grammar: brace is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: duo, twosome, pair, ace bandage.
  • Useful contrasts: unbraced, detach, instability.
  • Usage evidence: Brace yourselves! From today I'm learning the piano. Why? Because I want to become a music teacher!

How to use "brace"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "brace" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "brace" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "brace" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "brace" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "brace" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "duo" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "brace", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Armor for the arm; vambrace. obsolete
  2. 2
    a structural member used to stiffen a framework wordnet
  3. 3
    A measurement of length, originally representing a person's outstretched arms. obsolete
  4. 4
    a carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring wordnet
  5. 5
    A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.

    "a brace and bit"

Show 21 more definitions
  1. 6
    an appliance that corrects dental irregularities wordnet
  2. 7
    That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
  3. 8
    a support that steadies or strengthens something else wordnet
  4. 9
    A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension.
  5. 10
    elastic straps that hold trousers up wordnet
  6. 11
    A thong used to regulate the tension of a drum.

    "The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as the braces of the war drum do in that."

  7. 12
    a rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it wordnet
  8. 13
    The state of being braced or tight; tension.

    "And I am of opinion, that the moſt frequent cauſe of Deafneſs is to be attributed to the Laxneſs of the Tympanum, vvhen it has loſt its Brace or Tenſion by ſome irregularity in the Figure of thoſe Bones, or defect in that Muſcle: […]"

  9. 14
    either of two punctuation marks (‘{’ or ‘}’) used to enclose textual material wordnet
  10. 15
    Harness; warlike preparation.

    "’Tis a Pageant / To keepe vs in falſe gaze, when we conſider / Th’importancie of Cyprus to the Turke; / And let our ſelues againe but vnderſtand, / That as it more concerne the Turke then Rhodes, / So may he with more facile queſtion beare it, / For that it ſtands not in ſuch Warrelike brace, / But altogether lackes th’abilities / That Rhodes is dreſs’d in."

  11. 16
    a set of two similar things considered as a unit wordnet
  12. 17
    A curved, pointed line, also known as "curly bracket": { or } connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be considered together, such as in {role, roll}; in music, used to connect staves.
  13. 18
    two items of the same kind wordnet
  14. 19
    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. (In British use (as plural), this is a particularly common reference to game birds.)

    "But you, my brace of Lords, were I ſo minded / I heere could plucke his Highneſſe frowne vpon you / And iuſtifie you Traitors: […]"

  15. 20
    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.
  16. 21
    A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
  17. 22
    The mouth of a shaft. British, Cornwall
  18. 23
    Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders. British, in-plural
  19. 24
    A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth or to reduce overbite. plural, singular
  20. 25
    Two goals scored by one player in a game.

    "Coordinate term: hat trick"

  21. 26
    Two wickets taken with two consecutive deliveries.
Verb
  1. 1
    To prepare for something bad, such as an impact or blow. intransitive, transitive

    "All hands, brace for impact!"

  2. 2
    cause to be alert and energetic wordnet
  3. 3
    To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly.

    "He braced himself against the crowd."

  4. 4
    support by bracing wordnet
  5. 5
    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 brace the yards"

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace wordnet
  2. 7
    To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police.
  3. 8
    prepare (oneself), often but not necessarily for something unpleasant or difficult wordnet
  4. 9
    To confront with questions, demands or requests.

    "Just about then the young kid who had braced us when we came in uttered a curse and made for the door."

  5. 10
    To furnish with braces; to support; to prop.

    "to brace a beam in a building"

  6. 11
    To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen.

    "to brace the nerves"

  7. 12
    To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.

    "The women of China[…], by bracing and binding them [their feet] from their infancy, have very little feet."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from Old French.

Synonyms

All synonyms
duotwosomepairace bandageadhesive tapeadvocate

Example

"Brace yourselves! From today I'm learning the piano. Why? Because I want to become a music teacher!"

Common questions

What does "brace" mean?

Armor for the arm; vambrace.

What is a synonym for "brace"?

Common synonyms include: duo, twosome, pair, ace bandage, adhesive tape, advocate.

How do you use "brace" in a sentence?

Brace yourselves! From today I'm learning the piano. Why? Because I want to become a music teacher!

How do you pronounce "brace"?

Pronounced /bɹeɪs/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English brace, from Old French brace (“arm”), from Latin bracchia, the nominative and accusative plural of bracchium (“arm”).

Etymology 2

English surname of Norman origin, from Old French brace (“arm”) and thus related to the noun brace.

More for "brace"

Synonyms

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