Illustration of bridge
- 1 beam
- 2 truss
- 3 arch
- 4 suspension
- 5 cable-stayed
1
a
: a structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle (such as a river)
a bridge connecting the island to the mainland
b
: a time, place, or means of connection or transition
building a bridge between the two cultures
the bridge from war to peace
2
: something resembling a bridge in form or function: such as
a
: the upper bony part of the nose
broke the bridge of his nose
also
: the part of a pair of glasses that rests upon it
b
music
: a piece raising the strings of a musical instrument see violin illustration
c
nautical
: the forward part of a ship's superstructure (see superstructure sense 2b) from which the ship is navigated
d
railroads
: gantry sense 2b
e
3
a
music
: a passage linking two sections of a composition
b
dentistry
: a partial denture anchored to adjacent teeth
c
chemistry
: a connection (such as an atom or group of atoms) that joins two different parts of a molecule (such as opposite sides of a ring)
4
physics
: an electrical instrument or network for measuring or comparing resistances (see resistance entry 1 sense 4a), inductances, capacitances, or impedances by comparing the ratio of two opposing voltages to a known ratio
bridged; bridging
1
: to make a bridge (see bridge entry 1) over or across
bridging a river
bridge the divisions between the two groups
bridge the generation gap
also
: to join by a bridge
2
: to provide with a bridge
small bridged streams
card games
: any of various card games for usually four players in two partnerships that bid for the right to declare a trump suit, seek to win tricks (see trick entry 1 sense 4) equal to the final bid, and play with the hand of declarer's partner exposed and played by declarer
especially
: contract bridge
Examples of bridge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus bridges literary fiction and lush, accessible fantasy.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Proven programs like CityFHEPS exist precisely to bridge that gap, helping households stay housed and preventing avoidable homelessness.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bridge
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Noun
Wayfinding signage will direct you to the pedestrian bridge over the canal, which leads directly to Miami Freedom Park and Nu Stadium.
—Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus bridges literary fiction and lush, accessible fantasy.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Enter, a disruptor, bridging the Heat into this brave, new NBA world of the 2020s.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2026
Proven programs like CityFHEPS exist precisely to bridge that gap, helping households stay housed and preventing avoidable homelessness.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bridge
Cite this Entry
“Bridge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bridge. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bridge
1 of 3 noun1
: a structure built over something (as a river or a railroad) so people can cross
2
: a platform above and across the deck of a ship for the captain or officer in charge
3
a
: something resembling a bridge (as the upper part of the nose)
b
: music that connects the sections of a song or composition
4
: a curved piece that raises the strings of a musical instrument
5
: an artificial replacement for one or more teeth that is fastened to the remaining nearby teeth
bridge
2 of 3 verb
bridged; bridging
: to make a bridge over or across
bridge a gap
bridge
3 of 3 noun
: a card game for four players in two teams
Etymology
Noun
Old English brycg "bridge"
Noun
origin unknown
Medical Definition
bridge
noun1
a
: the upper bony part of the nose
b
: the curved part of a pair of glasses that rests upon this part of the nose
2
a
: pons
b
: a strand of protoplasm extending between two cells
c
: a partial denture held in place by anchorage to adjacent teeth
d
: a connection (as an atom or group of atoms) that joins two different parts of a molecule (as opposite sides of a ring)
e
: an area of physical continuity between two chromatids persisting during the later phases of mitosis and constituting a possible source of somatic genetic change
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