brace

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to push your body against something to stay steady, or to support a structure.

v. to make a structure or a limb rigid or steady by providing support or tension.

“He braced his feet against the wall to get more leverage.”

“Engineers had to brace the old bridge with steel beams before the heavy machinery could cross safely.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Medicine

n. a metal device worn on the teeth to make them straight, or a support for a weak joint.

n. an orthopaedic or dental appliance used to support, align, or hold a part of the body in a fixed position.

“The dentist said I have to wear a brace for two years to fix my teeth.”

“After the surgery, he was required to wear a heavy leg brace to prevent any lateral movement of the knee joint.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Plural noun British English

n. straps used to hold up a person's trousers.

n. a pair of straps passing over the shoulders to hold up trousers.

“He wore a smart suit with bright red braces.”

“The elderly gentleman preferred silk braces to a leather belt, claiming they were far more comfortable for all-day wear.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Formal

n. a word for two of something, especially birds or animals caught for food.

n. a pair of like things; specifically used in the context of game birds or certain sports.

Español:pareja

“The hunter returned with a brace of pheasants.”

“The striker scored a quick brace in the first half, effectively ending the opposition's hopes of a comeback.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Computing Technical

n. the symbols { or } used to group words or lines of music together.

n. a character used to connect two or more lines of writing or music, or to group items in mathematics and computing.

“Make sure you close the brace at the end of the code block.”

“The programmer spent an hour debugging the script only to find a missing closing brace in the main function.”