bridge

[ brij ]

/ brɪdʒ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bridge ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, or the like.

a connecting, transitional, or intermediate route or phase between two adjacent elements, activities, conditions, or the like: Working at the hospital was a bridge between medical school and private practice.

Nautical.

a raised transverse platform from which a power vessel is navigated: often includes a pilot house and a chart house.
any of various other raised platforms from which the navigation or docking of a vessel is supervised.
a bridge house or bridge superstructure.
a raised walkway running fore-and-aft.

Anatomy. the ridge or upper line of the nose.

Dentistry. an artificial replacement, fixed or removable, of a missing tooth or teeth, supported by natural teeth or roots adjacent to the space.

Music.

a thin, fixed wedge or support raising the strings of a musical instrument above the sounding board.
a transitional, modulatory passage connecting sections of a composition or movement.
(in jazz and popular music) the contrasting third group of eight bars in a thirty-two-bar chorus; channel; release.

Also bridge passage. a passage in a literary work or a scene in a play serving as a movement between two other passages or scenes of greater importance.

Ophthalmology. the part of a pair of eyeglasses that joins the two lenses and rests on the bridge or sides of the nose.

Also called bridge circuit. Electricity. a two-branch network, including a measuring device, as a galvanometer, in which the unknown resistance, capacitance, inductance, or impedance of one component can be measured by balancing the voltage in each branch and computing the unknown value from the known values of the other components. Compare Wheatstone bridge.

Railroads. a gantry over a track or tracks for supporting waterspouts, signals, etc.

Building Trades. a scaffold built over a sidewalk alongside a construction or demolition site to protect pedestrians and motor traffic from falling materials.

Metallurgy.

a ridge or wall-like projection of fire brick or the like, at each end of the hearth in a metallurgical furnace.
any layer of partially fused or densely compacted material preventing the proper gravitational movement of molten material, as in a blast furnace or cupola, or the proper compacting of metal powder in a mold.

(in a twist drill) the conoid area between the flutes at the drilling end.

Billiards, Pool.

the arch formed by the hand and fingers to support and guide the striking end of a cue.
a notched piece of wood with a long handle, used to support the striking end of the cue when the hand cannot do so comfortably; rest.

transitional music, commentary, dialogue, or the like, between two parts of a radio or television program.

Theater.

a gallery or platform that can be raised or lowered over a stage and is used by technicians, stagehands, etc., for painting scenery (paint bridge), arranging and supporting lights (light bridge), or the like.
British. a part of the floor of a stage that can be raised or lowered.

Horology. a partial plate, supported at both ends, holding bearings on the side opposite the dial. Compare cock¹(def 10).

Chemistry. a valence bond illustrating the connection of two parts of a molecule.

a support or prop, usually timber, for the roof of a mine, cave, etc.

any arch or rooflike figure formed by acrobats, dancers, etc., as by joining and raising hands.

verb (used with object), bridged, bridg·ing.

to make a bridge or passage over; span: The road bridged the river.

to join by or as if by a bridge: a fallen tree bridging the two porches.

to make (a way) by a bridge.

verb (used without object), bridged, bridg·ing.

Foundry. (of molten metal) to form layers or areas heterogeneous either in material or in degree of hardness.

adjective

(especially of clothing) less expensive than a manufacturer's most expensive products: showing his bridge line for the fall season.

Idioms for bridge

burn one's bridges (behind one), to eliminate all possibilities of retreat; make one's decision irrevocable: She burned her bridges when she walked out angrily.

Origin of bridge

before 1000; Middle English brigge, Old English brycg; cognate with Dutch brug, German Brücke; akin to Old Norse bryggja pier

SYNONYMS FOR bridge

21 traverse, cross, vault.

22 link, connect.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bridge ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bridge

bridge·a·ble, adjective bridge·less, adjective bridge·like, adjective un·bridge·a·ble, adjective

un·bridged, adjective

Words nearby bridge

bridegroom, bridesmaid, bridewell, bridey, bridezilla, bridge, bridge chair, bridge circuit, bridge cloth, bridge deck, bridge financing

British Dictionary definitions for burn one's bridges (1 of 3)

Bridge

/ (brɪdʒ) /

noun

Frank . 1879–1941, English composer, esp of chamber music. He taught Benjamin Britten

British Dictionary definitions for burn one's bridges (2 of 3)

bridge ¹

/ (brɪdʒ) /

noun

a structure that spans and provides a passage over a road, railway, river, or some other obstacle

something that resembles this in shape or function his letters provided a bridge across the centuries

the hard ridge at the upper part of the nose, formed by the underlying nasal bones
any anatomical ridge or connecting structureCompare pons

the part of a pair of glasses that rests on the nose

Also called: bridgework a dental plate containing one or more artificial teeth that is secured to the surrounding natural teeth

a platform athwartships and above the rail, from which a ship is piloted and navigated

a piece of wood, usually fixed, supporting the strings of a violin, guitar, etc, and transmitting their vibrations to the sounding board

Also called: bridge passage a passage in a musical, literary, or dramatic work linking two or more important sections

Also called: bridge circuit electronics any of several networks, such as a Wheatstone bridge, consisting of two branches across which a measuring device is connected. The resistance, capacitance, etc, of one component can be determined from the known values of the others when the voltage in each branch is balanced

computing a device that connects networks and sends packets between them

billiards snooker

a support for a cue made by placing the fingers on the table and raising the thumb
a cue rest with a notched end for shots beyond normal reach

theatre

a platform of adjustable height above or beside the stage for the use of stagehands, light operators, etc
mainly British a part of the stage floor that can be raised or lowered

a partition in a furnace or boiler to keep the fuel in place

build bridges to promote reconciliation or cooperation between hostile groups or people

burn one's bridges See burn 1 (def. 19)

cross a bridge when one comes to it to deal with a problem only when it arises; not to anticipate difficulties

verb (tr)

to build or provide a bridge over something; span to bridge a river

to connect or reduce the distance between let us bridge our differences

Derived forms of bridge

bridgeable, adjective bridgeless, adjective

Word Origin for bridge

Old English brycg; related to Old Norse bryggja gangway, Old Frisian bregge, Old High German brucka, Danish, Swedish bro

British Dictionary definitions for burn one's bridges (3 of 3)

bridge ²

/ (brɪdʒ) /

noun

a card game for four players, based on whist, in which one hand (the dummy) is exposed and the trump suit decided by bidding between the players See also contract bridge, duplicate bridge, rubber bridge, auction bridge

Word Origin for bridge

C19: of uncertain origin, but compare Turkish bir-üç (unattested phrase) one-three (said perhaps to refer to the one exposed hand and the three players' hands)

Medical definitions for burn one's bridges

bridge

[ brĭj ]

n.

An anatomical structure resembling a bridge or span.

The upper part of the ridge of the nose formed by the nasal bones.

A fixed or removable replacement for one or several but not all of the natural teeth, usually anchored at each end to a natural tooth.

One of the threads of protoplasm that appears to pass from one cell to another.

Scientific definitions for burn one's bridges

bridge

[ brĭj ]

A structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier, such as a river or roadway.

Idioms and Phrases with burn one's bridges (1 of 2)

burn one's bridges

Also, burn one's boats. Commit oneself to an irreversible course. For example, Denouncing one's boss in a written resignation means one has burned one's bridges, or Turning down one job before you have another amounts to burning your boats. Both versions of this idiom allude to ancient military tactics, when troops would cross a body of water and then burn the bridge or boats they had used both to prevent retreat and to foil a pursuing enemy. [Late 1800s] Also see cross the rubicon.

Idioms and Phrases with burn one's bridges (2 of 2)

bridge

see burn one's bridges; cross that bridge when one comes to it; water over the dam (under the bridge).

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

bridge

noun

verb (used with object), bridged, bridg·ing.