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Noun: braces  brey-siz
  1. An appliance that corrects dental irregularities
    - brace, orthodontic braces
Noun: brace  breys
  1. A support that steadies or strengthens something else
    "he wore a brace on his knee"
     
  2. Two items of the same kind
    - couple, pair, twosome, twain, span, yoke, couplet, distich, duo, duet, dyad, duad
     
  3. A set of two similar things considered as a unit
    - pair
     
  4. Either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material
     
  5. A rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it
     
  6. [Brit] Elastic straps that hold trousers up
    - suspender, gallus [US]
     
  7. A carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring
    - bitstock
     
  8. A structural member used to stiffen a framework
    - bracing
Verb: brace  breys
  1. Prepare (oneself), often but not necessarily for something unpleasant or difficult
    - poise
     
  2. Support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace
    "brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel";
    - steady, stabilize, stabilise [Brit]
     
  3. Support by bracing
     
  4. Cause to be alert and energetic
    "Coffee and tea brace me";
    - stimulate, arouse, energize, energise [Brit], perk up

Type of: 2, affect, beef up, dental appliance, deuce, fix, fortify, gear up, hold, hold up, II, man's clothing, prepare, punctuation, punctuation mark [Brit], ready, reinforcement, rope, set, set up, stock, strengthen, strengthener, structural member, support, sustain, two

Antonym: de-energize

Part of: brace and bit, frame, framework

Encyclopedia: Braces

Brace, Peter