bridge
| Jump To: |
|
| Also found in: |
|
bridge (brij)
noun
- a structure built over a river, railroad, highway, etc. to provide a way across for vehicles or pedestrians
- a thing that provides connection, contact, or transition a common language is a bridge between cultures
- the upper, bony part of the nose
- the curved bow of a pair of eyeglasses fitting over the nose
- a thin arched, usually wooden support on the belly of violins, lutes, guitars, etc. over which the strings are stretched
- a similar support for the strings of a piano, harpsichord, etc.
- an overhead framework across sets of railroad tracks, for carrying signals; gantry
- a raised structure on a ship, usually in the forward part, from which it is controlled while underway
- a dividing partition for keeping fuel in place in a furnace or boiler
- Billiards
- a position of the hand when it is functioning as a support and guide for the cue in making a shot
- a device consisting of a notched transverse piece attached to the end of a cue having the same function
- Chem. hydrogen bond
- Dentistry a fixed or removable mounting for a false tooth or teeth, attached to a real tooth or teeth
- Elec. a device used primarily in measuring resistances, frequencies, etc., by comparing the effect of the unknown element with that of known or standard elements in the circuit
- Music a connecting passage between two sections of a composition
Etymology: ME brigge < OE brycge < IE base *bhrū, log, beam, hence wooden causeway
transitive verb bridged, bridging bridg′·ing
- to build a bridge on or over
- to provide a bridge, connection, transition, etc. across or between
adjective
Related Forms:
- bridgeable bridge′·able adjective
burn one's bridges (behind one)
bridge (brij)
noun
Etymology: earlier (1886) biritch, “Russian whist,” altered after bridge; game and name ? of Russ orig.
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
bridge
n.
An elevated structure
viaduct, platform, pontoon, catwalk, gangplank, drawbridge, trestle, overpass, span, scaffold. Types of bridges include: arch, pier, gantry, leg, suspension, truss, trestle, cantilever, bowstring, tubular, bascule, pontoon, swing, tubular-arch, turnpike, floating, steel arch, vertical lift, draw, box-girder, lattice, hoist, induction, bottom-road, arched-truss, panel-truss, covered, covered Bailey.
Famous bridges include: Alexander Hamilton, Ambassador, Bayonne, Bronx-Whitestone, Brooklyn, Carquinez Strait, Chesapeake Bay, Corpus Christi, Eads, Firth of Forth, Florianopolis, George Washington, Golden Gate, Henry Hudson, Iberville Memorial, Karlsbrücke, Kitchikas, Lake Pontchartrain, London, Mackinac, Oakland or Bay Bridge, Pont Neuf, Pont d'Avignon, Ponte Vecchio, Verrazano-Narrows, Bridge of Sighs, Bridge of St. Angelo.
A game at cards
whist, bridge-whist, contract bridge, auction bridge, duplicate bridge, rubber bridge, honeymoon bridge; see also game 1.A link
connection, bond, tie; see joint 1, link.
burn one's bridges
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Object
- gulf: In fact the gap between politics and people is getting wider and the big question is how to bridge that gulf.
Converse of object
- cross: We followed the path around the field's edges, crossing bridges, then an earth bridge.
Adjective modifier
- wooden: A small wooden bridge leads from the orchard to the large carp lake.
Modifies a noun
- abutment: Railings to the bridge abutments were added in the same year.
Noun used with modifier
- railroad: Meet at the entrance to the Reserve by the disused railroad bridge at 2pm.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
I stood inVenice, on the Bridge of Sighs; A palace and a prison on each hand: I saw from out the wave her structures rise As from the stroke of the enchanter's wand: A thousand years their cloudy wings expand Around me, and a dying Glory smiles O'er the far times, when manya subject land Look'd to the winged Lion's marble piles, WhereVenice sate in state, thron'd on her hundred isles!
The Colonial Secretary [Iain Macleod] has been too clever by half.Ibelievethat heisavery fine bridgeplayer. It isnot considered immoral, or even bad form, to outwit one's opponent at bridge.It almost seems to me as if the Colonial Secretary, when he abandoned the sphere of bridge for the sphere of politics, brought his bridge technique with him.
Our Meistersinger, thou set breath in steel; And it was thou who on the boldest heel Stood up and flung the span on even wing Of that great Bridge, our Myth, whereof I sing.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Link to this page:
Cite this page:
MLA Style
"bridge." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/bridge>
APA Style
bridge. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/bridge

Comments:
Please Login or Register to post a comment