1
as in support
a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else
wore a brace for the injured knee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in pair
two things of the same or similar kind that match or are considered together
bagged a brace of pheasants
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to stimulate
to give life, vigor, or spirit to
the pep talk braced the team up for the second half
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to fortify
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
she braced herself for the job interview
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brace
Andrew Dampf, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
Vonn is wearing a hardcore brace under her racing suit.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
But as Guardiola braced himself for the same old story, City came to life in a fashion that could define their year.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brace
Noun
Vonn is competing with a large brace covering her injured knee.
—Andrew Dampf, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
Vonn is wearing a hardcore brace under her racing suit.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
Union officials are bracing for a wave of layoffs targeting custodians who work in Chicago city government buildings due to a $12 million cut in the facilities budget in the spending plan Mayor Brandon Johnson and aldermen put together for 2026.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
But as Guardiola braced himself for the same old story, City came to life in a fashion that could define their year.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brace
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brace
Noun
-
The item will come back for a final vote on March 3, and will require support from at least four of the five members to be placed on the June 2 ballot.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Polling shows support for photo ID requirements in elections is widespread in both political parties.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Seattle Seahawks lead the New England Patriots 9-0 at halftime of Super Bowl LX on a pair of field goals by kicker Jason Myers.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The writer Michael Wolff, meanwhile — the only journalist to have written about spending extensive time with Epstein — appears in the files sharing a draft of a profile with Epstein, and thanking him for a pair of shoes.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Then, they are manually placed on Multi Electrode Arrays (MEAs), a grid of tiny electrodes on a biocompatible substrate chip that records and stimulates neurons using 32 electrodes grouped into four sets of eight.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
-
To wit, lymphatic brushes join the ranks of depuffing tools like gua shas, face rollers, and dry brushes; most working to stimulate lymphatic drainage, your body’s natural detoxification process.—
Emily Orofino,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The launcher carries six 300 mm rockets and is operated by a small crew working from within an armored cabin designed to protect against shrapnel and small-arms fire, according to reports.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Of his goals, the strike just outside the box away to Inter carried the most threat.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Connecticut should continue to fortify its legal framework so that care decisions remain between patients, families, and medical professionals — not politicians or out-of-state actors — and so that the right to bodily autonomy is grounded as securely as possible in state law.—
Matthew Blinstrubas,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
-
This means not every cereal is fortified to the same degree or even necessarily fortified at all.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The partnership builds on earlier reinforcement learning work, including the Spot Reinforcement Learning Researcher Kit, which enabled record-setting running speeds for the quadruped robot, reports Humanoids Daily.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Jones, who's been starting in Gordon's spot, will already be part of the call for reinforcements.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
It’s turned rainy and cooler in the past couple of days, but the creosote bushes are blooming yellow.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
One of the most iconic couples of the 1990s, Carolyn and John’s place in Kennedy history was canonized by their untimely death by plane crash in 1999.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But recent incidents involving the driverless cars have stirred controversy.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Your 6th House of Labor hosts mental Mercury, which squares rebellious Uranus in your 9th House of Journeys, stirring tension between tradition and modernization.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brace.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brace. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
