Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Bracket

//ˈbɹækɪt// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A fixture attached to a wall to hold up a shelf.
  2. 2
    Alternative form of bragget (“drink made with ale and honey”). alt-of, alternative, uncountable
  3. 3
    a support projecting from a wall (as to hold a shelf) wordnet
  4. 4
    Any intermediate object that connects a smaller part to a larger part, the smaller part typically projecting sideways from the larger part.

    "To determine if your frame has this bottom bracket type, look for a notched and possibly knurled lockring on the left side (the side without the chainrings)."

  5. 5
    either of two punctuation marks (‘[’ or ‘]’) used to enclose textual material wordnet
Show 13 more definitions
  1. 6
    A short crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a support.
  2. 7
    either of two punctuation marks (‘<’ or ‘>’) used in computer programming and sometimes used to enclose textual material wordnet
  3. 8
    The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage, supporting the trunnions.
  4. 9
    a category falling within certain defined limits wordnet
  5. 10
    Any of the characters “(”, “)”, “[”, “]”, “{”, “}”, “⟨”, “⟩”, “<”, “>”, or the like, used in pairs to enclose parenthetic remarks, sections of mathematical expressions, etc.; “(” and “)” specifically, the other forms above requiring adjectives for disambiguation. UK
  6. 11
    Any of the characters “(”, “)”, “[”, “]”, “{”, “}”, “⟨”, “⟩”, “<”, “>”, or the like, used in pairs to enclose parenthetic remarks, sections of mathematical expressions, etc.; “[” and “]” specifically, as opposed to the other forms, which have their own technical names. US
  7. 12
    A diagram of games in a tournament.
  8. 13
    A prediction of the outcome of games in a tournament, used for betting purposes.
  9. 14
    One of several ranges of numbers.

    "tax bracket, age bracket"

  10. 15
    A pair of values that represent the smallest and largest elements of a range.
  11. 16
    Typically of stationary weapons, the zone enclosed by one long and one short shot impact expected to be hit very accurately.
  12. 17
    The small curved or angular corner formed by a serif and a stroke in a letter.
  13. 18
    a mark cut into a stone by land surveyors to secure a bench. obsolete
Verb
  1. 1
    To support by means of mechanical brackets.
  2. 2
    classify or group wordnet
  3. 3
    To enclose in typographical brackets.
  4. 4
    place into brackets wordnet
  5. 5
    To bound on both sides, to surround, as enclosing with brackets.
Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    support with brackets wordnet
  2. 7
    To place in the same category.

    "Because they didn’t have enough young boys for two full teams, they bracketed the seven-year-olds with the eight-year-olds."

  3. 8
    To mark distinctly for special treatment.

    "Next, since so much social activity is defined by being bracketed out of the world of ongoing events, it becomes possible that outside such bracketed episodes, […] people are — especially beforehand, but also afterwards — to some extent "out of role", and so off their guard."

  4. 9
    To set aside, discount, ignore.

    "SIL got access to academic legitimacy; linguists bracketed the evangelical engine that drives SIL because they got access to data and tools."

  5. 10
    To gauge the range of a target by firing equally short and long of it and ranging the weapon between the two to achieve a very accurate hit.
  6. 11
    To take multiple images of the same subject, using a range of exposure settings, in order to help ensure that a satisfactory image is obtained.
  7. 12
    In the philosophical system of Edmund Husserl and his followers, to set aside metaphysical theories and existential questions concerning what is real in order to focus philosophical attention simply on the actual content of experience.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From earlier bragget, *bracket, from Middle English *braget, *braket (attested in braket nail), from Old French braguette (“the opening in the fore part of a pair of breeches, one's fly”), a diminutive of Old French brague (“knickers, britches”), from Old Occitan braga, from Latin brāca (“pants”), from Transalpine Gaulish *brāca, from Proto-Germanic *brāks, an early form of Proto-Germanic *brōks (“leggings, breeches, trousers”).

Etymology 2

From earlier bragget, *bracket, from Middle English *braget, *braket (attested in braket nail), from Old French braguette (“the opening in the fore part of a pair of breeches, one's fly”), a diminutive of Old French brague (“knickers, britches”), from Old Occitan braga, from Latin brāca (“pants”), from Transalpine Gaulish *brāca, from Proto-Germanic *brāks, an early form of Proto-Germanic *brōks (“leggings, breeches, trousers”).

See also for "bracket"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: bracket