brace

Meanings

• a support that steadies or strengthens something else
  • "he wore a brace on his knee"
• two items of the same kind
• a set of two similar things considered as a unit
• either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material
• a rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it
• elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)
• an appliance that corrects dental irregularities
• a carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring
• a structural member used to stiffen a framework
• prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
• support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace
  • "brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel"
• support by bracing
• cause to be alert and energetic

Synonyms

arouse, bitstock, braces, bracing, couple, couplet, distich, duad, duet, duo, dyad, energise, energize, gallus, orthodontic braces, pair, perk up, poise, span, stabilise, stabilize, steady, stimulate, suspender, twain, twosome, yoke