2 VERB If you brace yourself against something or brace part of your body against it, you press against something in order to steady your body or to avoid falling. □ [V pron-refl + against ] Elaine braced herself against the dresser and looked in the mirror. □ [V n + against ] He braced his back against the wall.
3 VERB If you brace your shoulders or knees, you keep them stiffly in a particular position. □ [V n] He braced his shoulders as the snow slashed across his face.
4 VERB To brace something means to strengthen or support it with something else. □ [V n] Overhead, the lights showed the old timbers, used to brace the roof.
5 N‑COUNT You can refer to two things of the same kind as a brace of that thing. The plural form is also brace . □ [+ of ] …a brace of bottles of Mercier Rose champagne. □ [+ of ] …a few brace of grouse.
6 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A brace is a device attached to a part of a person's body, for example to a weak leg, in order to strengthen or support it. □ She wears a neck brace.
7 N‑COUNT A brace is a metal device that can be fastened to a child's teeth in order to help them grow straight.
8 N‑PLURAL Braces are a pair of straps that pass over your shoulders and fasten to your trousers at the front and back in order to stop them from falling down. [BRIT ] in AM, use suspenders 9 N‑COUNT Braces or curly braces are a pair of written marks that you place around words, numbers, or parts of a computer code, for example to indicate that they are connected in some way or are separate from other parts of the writing or code. [AM ] in BRIT, usually use curly brackets
brace|let /bre I sl I t/ (bracelets ) N‑COUNT A bracelet is a chain or band, usually made of metal, which you wear around your wrist as jewellery.
brac|ing /bre I s I ŋ/ ADJ If you describe something, especially a place, climate, or activity as bracing , you mean that it makes you feel fresh and full of energy. □ …a bracing walk.
brack|en /bræ kən/ N‑UNCOUNT Bracken is a large plant with leaves that are divided into many thin sections. It grows on hills and in woods.
brack|et /bræ k I t/ (brackets , bracketing , bracketed )
1 N‑COUNT [usu n N ] If you say that someone or something is in a particular bracket , you mean that they come within a particular range, for example a range of incomes, ages, or prices. □ …a 33% top tax rate on everyone in these high-income brackets. □ Do you fall outside that age bracket?
2 N‑COUNT Brackets are pieces of metal, wood, or plastic that are fastened to a wall in order to support something such as a shelf. □ Fix the beam with the brackets and screws. □ …adjustable wall brackets.
3 VERB If two or more people or things are bracketed together , they are considered to be similar or related in some way. □ [be V -ed with together ] Small businesses are being bracketed together as high risk, regardless of their business plans and previous histories. □ [be V -ed + with ] Austrian wine styles are often bracketed with those of northern Germany.
4 N‑COUNT [usu pl, oft in N ] Brackets are a pair of written marks that you place round a word, expression, or sentence in order to indicate that you are giving extra information. In British English, curved marks like these are also called brackets , but in American English, they are called parenthesis . □ The prices in brackets are special rates for the under 18s.
5 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Brackets are pair of marks that are placed around a series of symbols in a mathematical expression to indicate that those symbols function as one item within the expression.
brack|ish /bræ k I ʃ/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Brackish water is slightly salty and unpleasant. □ …shallow pools of brackish water.
brag /bræ g/ (brags , bragging , bragged ) VERB If you brag , you say in a very proud way that you have something or have done something. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V + about ] He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. □ [V + to ] He'll probably go around bragging to his friends. □ [V that] He once bragged that he would become the world's richest man. [Also V with quote, V ]
Brah|min /brɑː m I n/ (Brahmins ) also Brahman N‑COUNT A Brahmin is a Hindu of the highest social rank.
braid /bre I d/ (braids , braiding , braided )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Braid is a narrow piece of decorated cloth or twisted threads, which is used to decorate clothes or curtains. □ …a plum-coloured uniform with lots of gold braid.
2 VERB If you braid hair or a group of threads, you twist three or more lengths of the hair or threads over and under each other to make one thick length. [AM ] □ [V n] She had almost finished braiding Louisa's hair. □ [V -ed] He pictured her with long black braided hair. in BRIT, use plait 3 N‑COUNT A braid is a length of hair which has been divided into three or more lengths and then braided. [AM ] in BRIT, use plait
braid|ed /bre I d I d/ ADJ A piece of clothing that is braided is decorated with braid.
Braille /bre I l/ N‑UNCOUNT Braille is a system of printing for blind people. The letters are printed as groups of raised dots that you can feel with your fingers.
brain ◆◆◇ /bre I n/ (brains )
1 N‑COUNT Your brain is the organ inside your head that controls your body's activities and enables you to think and to feel things such as heat and pain. □ Her father died of a brain tumour.