Bridge

/bɹɪd͡ʒ/ name, noun, verb

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

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.; A construction spanning a waterway, ravine, or valley from a height, allowing for the passage of vehicles, pedestrians, trains, etc.
  • Grammar: bridge is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: span, a string, accouple, accumulate.
  • Useful contrasts: no span, barrier, board game.
  • Usage evidence: If you were to fall from that bridge, it would be almost impossible to rescue you.

How to use "bridge"

  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 "bridge" 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 "bridge" 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 "bridge" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bridge" 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 "bridge" 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 "span" 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 "bridge", 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
    A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.; A construction spanning a waterway, ravine, or valley from a height, allowing for the passage of vehicles, pedestrians, trains, etc.

    "The rope bridge crosses the river."

  2. 2
    Any of a certain family of trick-taking card games. uncountable

    "Bidding is an essential element of the game of bridge."

  3. 3
    any of various card games based on whist for four players wordnet
  4. 4
    A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.; The upper bony ridge of the human nose.

    "Rugby players often break the bridge of their noses."

  5. 5
    Any of a certain family of trick-taking card games.; A card game played with four players playing as two teams of two players each. uncountable, usually

    "She played in a bridge tournament in Las Vegas last year."

Show 37 more definitions
  1. 6
    a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc. wordnet
  2. 7
    A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.; A prosthesis replacing one or several adjacent teeth.

    "The dentist pulled out the decayed tooth and put in a bridge."

  3. 8
    an upper deck where a ship is steered and the captain stands wordnet
  4. 9
    A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.; The gap between the holes on a bowling ball
  5. 10
    the link between two lenses; rests on the nose wordnet
  6. 11
    An arch or superstructure.; An elevated platform above the upper deck of a mechanically propelled ship from which it is navigated and from which all activities on deck can be seen and controlled by the captain, etc; smaller ships have a wheelhouse, and sailing ships were controlled from a quarterdeck.

    "The first officer is on the bridge."

  7. 12
    a denture anchored to teeth on either side of missing teeth wordnet
  8. 13
    An arch or superstructure.; The piece, on string instruments, that supports the strings from the sounding board.
  9. 14
    a wooden support that holds the strings up wordnet
  10. 15
    An arch or superstructure.; A particular form of one hand placed on the table to support the cue when making a shot in cue sports.
  11. 16
    a circuit consisting of two branches (4 arms arranged in a diamond configuration) across which a meter is connected wordnet
  12. 17
    An arch or superstructure.; A cue modified with a convex arch-shaped notched head attached to the narrow end, used to support a player's (shooter's) cue for extended or tedious shots. Also called a spider.
  13. 18
    the hard ridge that forms the upper part of the nose wordnet
  14. 19
    An arch or superstructure.; Anything supported at the ends and serving to keep some other thing from resting upon the object spanned, as in engraving, watchmaking, etc., or which forms a platform or staging over which something passes or is conveyed.
  15. 20
    something resembling a bridge in form or function wordnet
  16. 21
    An arch or superstructure.; A defensive position in which the wrestler is supported by his feet and head, belly-up, in order to prevent touch-down of the shoulders and eventually to dislodge an opponent who has established a position on top.
  17. 22
    An arch or superstructure.; A similar position in gymnastics.
  18. 23
    A connection, real or abstract.

    "Yes, France is geographically situated in a key position so far as Western Europe is concerned. They are really the bridge between Germany, Spain and Italy. And it was necessary to have a NATO organization that was unified and France was a necessary member of that organization."

  19. 24
    A connection, real or abstract.; A rudimentary procedure before definite solution

    "ECMO is used as a bridge to surgery to stabilize the patient."

  20. 25
    A connection, real or abstract.; A device which connects two or more computer buses, typically in a transparent manner.

    "This chip is the bridge between the front-side bus and the I/O bus."

  21. 26
    A connection, real or abstract.; A software component connecting two or more separate systems.

    "The plugin also acts as a bridge with BuddyPress and adds things like the top admin bar, and so on."

  22. 27
    A connection, real or abstract.; A system which connects two or more local area networks at layer 2 of OSI model.

    "The LAN bridge uses a spanning tree algorithm."

  23. 28
    A connection, real or abstract.; An intramolecular valence bond, atom or chain of atoms that connects two different parts of a molecule; the atoms so connected being bridgeheads. physical
  24. 29
    A connection, real or abstract.; An unintended solder connection between two or more components or pins.
  25. 30
    A connection, real or abstract.; A contrasting section within a song that prepares for the return of the original material section.

    "The lyrics in the song's bridge inverted its meaning."

  26. 31
    A connection, real or abstract.; An edge which, if removed, changes a connected graph to one that is not connected.
  27. 32
    A connection, real or abstract.; A point in a line where a break in a word unit cannot occur.
  28. 33
    A connection, real or abstract.; A statement, such as an offer, that signals a possibility of accord.
  29. 34
    A connection, real or abstract.; A day falling between two public holidays and consequently designated as an additional holiday.
  30. 35
    A connection, real or abstract.; In turtles, the connection between the plastron and the carapace.
  31. 36
    A connection, real or abstract.; The part of a pair of glasses that connects the lenses.
  32. 37
    Any of several electrical devices that measure characteristics such as impedance and inductance by balancing different parts of a circuit
  33. 38
    A low wall or vertical partition in the fire chamber of a furnace, for deflecting flame, etc.; a bridge wall.
  34. 39
    The situation where a lone rider or small group of riders closes the space between them and the rider or group in front.
  35. 40
    A solid crust of undissolved salt in a water softener.
  36. 41
    An elongated chain of teammates, connected to the pack, for improved blocking potential.
  37. 42
    A form of cheating by which a card is cut by previously curving it by pressure of the hand.
Verb
  1. 1
    To be or make a bridge over something.

    "With enough cable, we can bridge this gorge."

  2. 2
    make a bridge across wordnet
  3. 3
    To span as if with a bridge.

    "The two groups were able to bridge their differences."

  4. 4
    cross over on a bridge wordnet
  5. 5
    To transition from one piece or section of music to another without stopping.

    "We need to bridge that jam into "The Eleven"."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    connect or reduce the distance between wordnet
  2. 7
    To connect two or more computer buses, networks etc. with a bridge.
  3. 8
    To go to the bridge position.
  4. 9
    To employ the bridge tactic. (See Noun section.)
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.; An occupational surname for a bridgekeeper
  2. 2
    A surname.; A habitational surname for someone living near a bridge or at a location called Bridge or Bridges
  3. 3
    A surname.; A toponymic surname for someone from Bruges
  4. 4
    A surname.; Alternative form of Bridgen. alt-of, alternative
  5. 5
    A surname.; Alternative form of Bridges. alt-of, alternative
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A village and civil parish in Canterbury district, Kent, England (OS grid ref TR1854). Recorded as Brige in 1086 (DB), from Old English brycg.
  2. 7
    An unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States, named for a river bridge.

Synonyms

All synonyms
spana stringaccoupleaccumulateacting areaadapters

Antonyms

no spanbarrierboard gamechunnel

Example

"If you were to fall from that bridge, it would be almost impossible to rescue you."

Common questions

What does "bridge" mean?

A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.; A construction spanning a waterway, ravine, or valley from a height, allowing for the passage of vehicles, pedestrians, trains, etc.

What is a synonym for "bridge"?

Common synonyms include: span, a string, accouple, accumulate, acting area, adapters.

How do you use "bridge" in a sentence?

If you were to fall from that bridge, it would be almost impossible to rescue you.

How do you pronounce "bridge"?

Pronounced /bɹɪd͡ʒ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English brigge, from Old English brycġ (“bridge”), from Proto-Germanic *brugjō, *brugjǭ (“bridge”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerw-, *bʰrēw- (“wooden flooring, decking, bridge”). Cognates Cognate with Scots brig, brigg (“bridge”), Yola burge (“bridge”), North Frisian brag, Bröch (“bridge”), Saterland Frisian Brääch, Brääg (“bridge”), West Frisian brêge (“bridge”), Dutch brug (“bridge”), German Brücke (“bridge”), Limburgish brögk (“bridge”), Luxembourgish Bréck (“bridge”), Vilamovian bryk (“bridge”), Yiddish בריק (brik, “bridge”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål brygge (“jetty, pier, wharf”), Faroese, Icelandic bryggja (“pier”), Norwegian Nynorsk brygge, bryggje (“jetty, pier, wharf”), Swedish brygga (“bridge; pier”). The verb is from Middle English briggen, from Old English brycġian (“to bridge, make a causeway, pave”), derived from the noun. Cognate with Dutch bruggen (“to bridge”), Middle Low German bruggen (“to bridge”), Old High German bruccōn (“to bridge”) (whence Modern German brücken). The sense of a part of a stringed instrument is a semantic loan from German Steg, from Old High German steg.

Etymology 2

From the earlier game biritch, probably from Russian бирю́ч (birjúč) or бири́ч (biríč); else from Turkish bir-üç (“one-three”).

Etymology 3

English surname, from the noun bridge.

More for "bridge"

Synonyms

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