📖 WordNook

brace

noun
  1. a structural member used to stiffen a framework
    bracing
  2. a carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring
    bitstock
  3. an appliance that corrects dental irregularities
    bracesorthodontic braces
  4. a support that steadies or strengthens something else
    “They wore a brace on their knee.”
  5. elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)
    suspendergallus
  6. a rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it
  7. either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material
  8. a set of two similar things considered as a unit
    pair
  9. two items of the same kind
    span
verb
  1. to support by placing braces
    “The engineers braced the roof with a couple of trusses.”
  2. to support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace
    “I braced my elbows while working on the potter's wheel.”
    steady
  3. to prepare oneself for something unpleasant or difficult
    “I am bracing for impact.”
    poise