/ breɪs; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a device that holds things firmly together or holds and supports them in position :
a neck brace (= worn to support the neck after an injury)
2.
[ C ] ( NAmE braces [ pl. ]) a metal device that children wear inside the mouth to help their teeth grow straight
3.
braces ( BrE ) ( NAmE sus·pend·ers ) [ pl. ] long narrow pieces of cloth, leather, etc. for holding trousers / pants up. They are fastened to the top of the trousers / pants at the front and back and passed over the shoulders :
a pair of braces
4.
[ C , usually pl. ] ( NAmE ) = calliper
5.
[ C ] either of the two marks, { }, used to show that the words, etc. between them are connected
—compare bracket
6.
[ C ] ( pl. brace ) a pair of birds or animals that have been killed in hunting
•
IDIOMS
see belt noun
■ verb
1.
brace sb / yourself (for sth) to prepare sb/yourself for sth difficult or unpleasant that is going to happen :
[ vn ]
UN troops are braced for more violence.
They are bracing themselves for a long legal battle.
[also vn to inf ]
2.
[ vn ] brace sth / yourself (against sth) to press your body or part of your body firmly against sth in order to stop yourself from falling :
They braced themselves against the wind.
3.
[ vn ] to contract the muscles in your body or part of your body before doing sth that is physically difficult :
He stood with his legs and shoulders braced, ready to lift the weights.
4.
[ vn ] ( technical ) to make sth stronger or more solid by supporting it with sth :
The roof was braced by lengths of timber.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (as a verb meaning clasp, fasten tightly ): from Old French bracier embrace, from brace two arms, from Latin bracchia , plural of bracchium arm, from Greek brakhiōn .