1. An appliance that corrects dental irregularities
   "The teenager wore braces to straighten her teeth";
   - brace, orthodontic braces
    
2. Suspenders for trousers
   "He wore braces instead of a belt with his suit"

1. A support that steadies or strengthens something else
   "he wore a brace on his knee"
    
2. A structural member used to stiffen a framework
   "They installed additional braces to reinforce the roof";
   - bracing
    
3. [Brit] Elastic straps that hold trousers up
   "He preferred braces to a belt for keeping his pants in place";
   - suspender, gallus [US, informal]
    
4. Two items of the same kind
   - couple, pair, twosome, twain, span, yoke, couplet, duo, duet, dyad, duad
    
5. A set of two similar things considered as a unit
   "The hunter returned with a brace of pheasants";
   - pair
    
6. A rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it
   "The sailor adjusted the brace to change the angle of the sail"
    
7. Either of two punctuation marks ('{' or '}') used to enclose textual material
   "Braces are often used to group statements in programming languages"
    
8. A carpenter's tool having a crank handle for turning and a socket to hold a bit for boring
   "The woodworker used a brace to drill precise holes in the furniture piece";
   - bitstock

1. Support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace
   "brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel";
   - steady, stabilize, stabilise [Brit]
    
2. Support by bracing
   "They braced the wall before beginning the renovation"
    
3. Prepare (oneself), often but not necessarily for something unpleasant or difficult
   "He braced himself for the bad news";
   - poise
    
4. Cause to be alert and energetic
   "Coffee and tea brace me";
   - stimulate, arouse, energize, energise [Brit], perk up, stir

Type of: 2, affect, beef up [informal], dental appliance, fix, fortify, gear up, hold, hold up, II, men's clothing, prepare, punctuation, punctuation mark [Brit], ready, reinforcement, rope, set, set up, stock, strengthen, strengthener, structural member, support, sustain, two

Antonym: de-energize

Part of: brace and bit, frame, framework

Encyclopedia: Braces