brace

brace¹ [breıs] v

1.) [T]

to mentally or physically prepare yourself or someone else for something unpleasant that is going to happen

brace yourself (for sth)

▪ Nancy braced herself for the inevitable arguments.

▪ You had better brace yourself - I have some bad news.

▪ The military needs to brace itself for further spending cuts, says McCoy.

brace yourself to do sth

▪ Cathy braced herself to see Matthew, who she expected to arrive at any minute.

be braced for sth

▪ The base was braced for an attack.

2.) [T]

to push part of your body against something solid in order to make yourself more steady

brace sth against sth

▪ Gina braced her back against the wall and pushed as hard as she could.

brace yourself (for sth)

▪ Before he could brace himself she'd shoved him out of the door.

▪ The pilot told passengers and crew to brace themselves for a rough landing.

3.) [T]

to make something stronger by supporting it

▪ Wait until we've braced the ladder.

▪ Workers used steel beams to brace the roof.

4.) [I and T]

to make your body or part of your body stiff in order to prepare to do something difficult

brace ²

brace² n

[Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: 'two arms', from Latin bracchia, from bracchium 'arm']

1.)

something that is used to strengthen or support something, or to make it stiff

▪ The miners used special braces to keep the walls from collapsing.

neck/back/knee brace

(=a brace which supports the neck etc)

▪ He was being fitted for a back brace.

▪ She had to wear a brace after the accident.

2.) also braces AmE

a system of metal wires that people, usually children, wear on their teeth to make them grow straight

3.) [C usually plural] AmE

a metal support that someone with weak legs wears to help them walk

British Equivalent: callipers

4.) braces [plural] BrE

two long pieces of material that stretch over someone's shoulders and fasten to their trousers at the front and the back to stop them falling down

American Equivalent: suspenders

5.)

one of a pair of signs used to show that information written between them should be considered together

→↑bracket

6.) a brace of sth

especially BrE two things of the same type, especially two birds or animals that have been killed for food or sport

▪ a brace of partridge