brace
prepare yourself for trouble
to get your body or mind ready for something bad or hard that will happen soon
to brace [oneself / yourself] for [something]
- You’d better brace yourself for some bad news.
- Residents are bracing themselves for another severe storm this weekend.
- She took a deep breath and braced herself before opening the exam results.
- Investors are bracing for a sharp drop in the stock market.
- He braced himself for an angry response, but she stayed calm.
- Brace yourself. I have something hard to tell you.
- People in the city are bracing for heavy rain.
- He braced himself before he went into the boss’s office.
- The team braced for a very strong opponent.
- She braced herself when she saw the car coming toward her.
support device for body part
a special thing you wear to hold or support a weak or hurt part of your body, like your leg, back, or neck
a [body-part] brace
- After the accident he had to wear a neck brace for six weeks.
- The doctor fitted her with a knee brace to stabilize the joint.
- A back brace can help reduce pain while your muscles heal.
- She took off her leg brace before going to bed.
- The clinic adjusted his ankle brace so it would be more comfortable.
- He wears a knee brace when he plays football.
- The woman in the car crash had a neck brace.
- My doctor gave me a back brace for my pain.
- She put on her leg brace in the morning.
- This brace helps me walk more easily.
dental device to straighten teeth
a special thing the dentist puts on your teeth to make them straight
wear braces on [one's] teeth
- She wore braces for three years in high school.
- The orthodontist said he might need braces to fix his bite.
- He finally got his braces off and loves his new smile.
- Clear braces are popular with adults who want straighter teeth.
- Braces can be uncomfortable at first, but you get used to them.
- My daughter has braces on her teeth.
- I will get braces next month.
- He is happy because the dentist took off his braces.
- Braces can make your teeth straight.
- Many teenagers wear braces.
make firm or steady for support
to hold something or your body strong and still, often by pushing it against something, so it does not move
to brace [something / yourself] against [something]
- She braced herself against the wall as the train started to move.
- They pushed a table against the door to brace it.
- He braced his feet on the floor and pulled hard on the rope.
- Workers braced the old bridge with steel beams.
- I braced the ladder so it wouldn’t slide.
- He braced the door with a chair.
- She braced herself against the strong wind.
- Two men braced the ladder while I climbed.
- I braced my feet on the ground.
- They braced the wall with wood.
supporting piece in structure
a strong bar or piece of wood or metal that supports part of a building or object
a brace between [two parts]
- The carpenter installed an extra brace under the shelf.
- Steel braces were added to support the damaged wall.
- A cross brace connects the two beams for stability.
- You may need a diagonal brace to stop the frame from twisting.
- They removed a wooden brace to create more space in the attic.
- They put a metal brace under the table.
- The wall has two wooden braces.
- A brace holds the roof in place.
- We added a brace to make the shelf strong.
- The frame needs another brace.
the punctuation mark { }
the curved sign { } that is used in maths and computer code
open brace / closing brace
- In this programming language, each function must start and end with a brace.
- Make sure every opening brace has a matching closing brace.
- The set of numbers is written inside curly braces.
- He accidentally deleted a brace, which broke the code.
- Use braces, not brackets, in this formula.
- In this code, every line is inside braces.
- You must type an opening brace and a closing brace.
- The set is written between { and } braces.
- He forgot the last brace, so the program failed.
- Curly braces are common in many languages.
a pair of two things
two of the same thing spoken of together, especially animals or goals in sport
a brace of [plural noun]
- The striker scored a brace of goals in the second half.
- He came back from the hunt with a brace of pheasants.
- Johnson netted a brace as his team won 3–1.
- They reported seeing a brace of deer near the river.
- She shot a brace of rabbits before noon.
- He scored a brace of goals in the game.
- The hunter brought home a brace of ducks.
- The player was happy with his brace in the match.
- They saw a brace of deer in the field.
- She shot a brace of rabbits in the morning.
shoulder straps for trousers
in British English, long straps over your shoulders that hold your trousers up
wear braces with [trousers]
- He always wears bright red braces with his suit.
- I need new braces; these elastic ones have stretched.
- Button-on braces look smarter than clip-on ones.
- His trousers stayed up only because of a pair of strong braces.
- Braces are back in fashion with some young men.
- He wears blue braces with his black trousers.
- These braces clip onto the trousers.
- My grandfather always wore trousers with braces.
- She bought leather braces as a gift.
- Braces keep your trousers from falling down.
- Base: brace
- Plural: brace, braces
- Base: brace
- 3rd Person Singular: braces
- Present Participle: bracing
- Past: braced
a brace of
1exactly two of something
two of the same thing, spoken of together, especially animals or goals in sport.
- He scored a brace of goals in the final.
- They returned with a brace of ducks from the lake.
- The young striker has scored a brace of winners this season.
brace for impact
1prepare for a physical collision
get your body and mind ready because a crash, hit, or very strong shock is about to happen.
- Everyone, brace for impact! shouted the pilot.
- She gripped the seat and braced for impact as the car skidded.
- The spacecraft began its descent, and the crew braced for impact.
brace oneself
1prepare yourself for difficulty
prepare yourself, usually by tensing your body or mind, before something difficult or unpleasant happens.
- He braced himself before walking onto the stage.
- She braced herself for disappointment but decided to try anyway.
- I braced myself as the roller coaster dropped.
brace position
1safety position before a crash
a special way of sitting and holding your body on a plane or other vehicle to protect yourself in a crash.
- Passengers were instructed to adopt the brace position.
- In an emergency landing, you may be told to take the brace position.
- The safety card shows how to sit in the brace position.
brace up
1make yourself stronger mentally
make an effort to feel stronger or more confident so that you can deal with something difficult.
- You need to brace up and finish the job.
- He braced up and decided to tell the truth.
- She tried to brace up before the interview started.
brace yourself
1get ready for bad news
get ready in your mind and body for something that will be hard, surprising, or unpleasant.
- Brace yourself, because the next part of the story is very sad.
- Brace yourself; the boss is in a terrible mood today.
- Brace yourself, this is going to hurt a little.
brace yourself for
1prepare for a specific hardship
prepare your mind and body because a particular difficult or unpleasant thing is going to happen.
- Brace yourself for some shocking statistics.
- The city is bracing itself for heavy snow this weekend.
- Brace yourself for a long wait at the airport.