bracket
Americannoun
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a support, as of metal or wood, projecting from a wall or the like to hold or bear the weight of a shelf, part of a cornice, etc.
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a shelf or shelves so supported.
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a square bracket or a curly bracket.
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Mathematics.
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brackets, parentheses of various forms indicating that the enclosed quantity is to be treated as a unit.
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(loosely) vinculum.
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Informal. an expression or formula between a pair of brackets.
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a grouping of people based on the amount of their income.
the low-income bracket.
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a class; grouping; classification.
She travels in a different social bracket.
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Sports. a diagram that tracks the process of elimination among sequentially paired opponents in a tournament.
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Architecture.
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any horizontally projecting support for an overhanging weight, as a corbel, cantilever, or console.
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any of a series of fancifully shaped false consoles beneath an ornamental cornice.
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(on a staircase) an ornamental piece filling the angle between a riser and its tread.
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Shipbuilding.
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a flat plate, usually triangular with a flange on one edge, used to unite and reinforce the junction between two flat members or surfaces meeting at an angle.
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any member for reinforcing the angle between two members or surfaces.
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a projecting fixture for gas or electricity.
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Gunnery. range or elevation producing both shorts and overs on a target.
verb (used with object)
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to furnish with or support by a bracket or brackets.
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to place within brackets; couple with a brace.
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to associate, mention, or class together.
Gossip columnists often bracket them together, so a wedding may be imminent.
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Gunnery. to place (shots) both beyond and short of a target.
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Photography. to take (additional shots) at exposure levels above and below the estimated correct exposure.
noun
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an L-shaped or other support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf, etc
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one or more wall shelves carried on brackets
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architect a support projecting from the side of a wall or other structure See also corbel ancon console 2
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Also called: square bracket. either of a pair of characters, [ ], used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text
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a general name for parenthesis square bracket brace
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a group or category falling within or between certain defined limits
the lower income bracket
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the distance between two preliminary shots of artillery fire in range-finding
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a skating figure consisting of two arcs meeting at a point, tracing the shape ⋎
verb
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to fix or support by means of a bracket or brackets
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to put (written or printed matter) in brackets, esp as being irrelevant, spurious, or bearing a separate relationship of some kind to the rest of the text
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to couple or join (two lines of text, etc) with a brace
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(often foll by with) to group or class together
to bracket Marx with the philosophers
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to adjust (artillery fire) until the target is hit
Other Word Forms
- unbracketed adjective
Etymology
Origin of bracket
First recorded in 1570–80; earlier brag(g)et, from Middle French braguette “codpiece,” diminutive of Old Provençal braga “breeches” ( brogue 2 ( def. ) )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The trust allowed her client to make larger withdrawals, and she moved assets into her estate because she is in a lower tax bracket than the trust.
From Barron's
They were awarded the top seeds in the eight-team bracket after each finished first in its league.
From Los Angeles Times
Wolff says she feels "lucky" to be involved in the sport at a time when, according to F1, 42% of fans are women, with the fastest growing demographic being in the 18-24-year-old age bracket.
From BBC
“I’m not suggesting anyone pity the poor rich. But as the ‘affordability’ debate bubbles on, it’s remarkable how far up the income bracket you can go and still feel squeezed,” says Zagare.
From MarketWatch
When he needed a steel bracket for a household chore, he designed one and sent the plans to Sendcutsend, an on-demand manufacturer, which quickly turned it into a physical product.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
