bridge

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
a
: a structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle (such as a river)
a bridge connecting the island to the mainland
b
: a time, place, or means of connection or transition
building a bridge between the two cultures
the bridge from war to peace
2
: something resembling a bridge in form or function: such as
a
: the upper bony part of the nose
broke the bridge of his nose
also : the part of a pair of glasses that rests upon it
b
music : a piece raising the strings of a musical instrument see violin illustration
c
nautical : the forward part of a ship's superstructure (see superstructure sense 2b) from which the ship is navigated
d
railroads : gantry sense 2b
e
billiards : the hand as a rest for a cue
also : a device used as a cue rest
3
a
music : a passage linking two sections of a composition
b
dentistry : a partial denture anchored to adjacent teeth
c
chemistry : a connection (such as an atom or group of atoms) that joins two different parts of a molecule (such as opposite sides of a ring)
4
physics : an electrical instrument or network for measuring or comparing resistances (see resistance entry 1 sense 4a), inductances, capacitances, or impedances by comparing the ratio of two opposing voltages to a known ratio
bridgeless adjective

Illustration of bridge

Illustration of bridge
  • 1 beam
  • 2 truss
  • 3 arch
  • 4 suspension
  • 5 cable-stayed

bridge

2 of 3

verb

bridged; bridging

transitive verb

1
: to make a bridge (see bridge entry 1) over or across
bridging a river
bridge the divisions between the two groups
bridge the generation gap
also : to join by a bridge
2
: to provide with a bridge
small bridged streams
bridgeable adjective

bridge

3 of 3

noun (2)

card games : any of various card games for usually four players in two partnerships that bid for the right to declare a trump suit, seek to win tricks (see trick entry 1 sense 4) equal to the final bid, and play with the hand of declarer 's partner exposed and played by declarer
especially : contract bridge

Examples of bridge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The girl and the cowherd are separated by a celestial river, but are able to be together one day a year when a flock of magpies forms a bridge over it. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Home to 170,000 people, Prizren is considered the country’s cultural hub: picturesque bridges cross the eponymous river, and a warren of cobblestone paths squiggle out of the central plaza. Naomi Tomky, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Mar. 2024 Darnold could be available for a return tour if the Vikings merely used him as a bridge to a hot-shot rookie draft pick. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 In Barrio Logan, $1.3 million will help pay for freeway lids, which are essentially deck bridges on top of a freeway that create green space in a community. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 As a result of the construction, the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau has modified its annual Jeep the Mac event, cutting the bridge crossing. Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 Thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 46,000 new projects have been announced across your communities – modernizing our roads and bridges, ports and airports, and public transit systems. USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Venetian Causeway closed Residents are being told to avoid the Venetian Causeway as the entire bridge is closed during the investigation. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024 Officers found the driver dead in the far right lane of Interstate 85 at the Belmont-Mount Holly Road bridge about 1:45 a.m., according to a Belmont Police Department news release on Saturday afternoon. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
The book makes the case for bridging differences and recognizing nuance. Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 But beyond that standoff, some social divides are being bridged rather than widened. Natan Odenheimer, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 According to Cosentino’s 2024 trend report, surfaces will be playing a key role in bridging interior and exterior spaces. Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Feb. 2024 Fatah, the faction that controls the Authority, and Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, have made efforts to bridge their differences and reach an agreement over a unity government and are due to meet in Moscow on Feb. 28. Ali Sawafta, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb. 2024 And as the world’s biggest historical emitter, the U.S. arguably has a special financial responsibility to help bridge these gaps. Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 4 Mar. 2024 Mercer Mass Timber's Construction Services bridges this gap by integrating engineering, manufacturing, and construction teams under one roof for unparalleled control over the entire construction process. Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 Meghan Rose is an astrologer, tarot reader, and writer based out of Los Angeles whose work bridges the magical and the material to create real change. Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Mar. 2024 Visualization can be a valuable tool to bridge this divide, providing a common language for communication, understanding and collaboration. Barbara Wittmann, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bridge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English brigge, from Old English brycg; akin to Old High German brucka bridge, Old Church Slavonic brŭvŭno beam

Verb

Middle English briggen, going back to Old English brycgian, noun derivative of brycg bridge entry 1

Noun (2)

alteration of earlier biritch, of unknown origin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1886, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bridge was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bridge

Cite this Entry

“Bridge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bridge. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bridge

1 of 3 noun
1
: a structure built over something (as a river or a railroad) so people can cross
2
: a platform above and across the deck of a ship for the captain or officer in charge
3
a
: something resembling a bridge (as the upper part of the nose)
b
: music that connects the sections of a song or composition
4
: a curved piece that raises the strings of a musical instrument
5
: an artificial replacement for one or more teeth that is fastened to the remaining nearby teeth

bridge

2 of 3 verb
bridged; bridging
: to make a bridge over or across
bridge a gap
bridgeable adjective

bridge

3 of 3 noun
: a card game for four players in two teams
Etymology

Noun

Old English brycg "bridge"

Noun

origin unknown

Medical Definition

bridge

noun
1
a
: the upper bony part of the nose
b
: the curved part of a pair of glasses that rests upon this part of the nose
2
a
: pons
b
: a strand of protoplasm extending between two cells
c
: a partial denture held in place by anchorage to adjacent teeth
d
: a connection (as an atom or group of atoms) that joins two different parts of a molecule (as opposite sides of a ring)
e
: an area of physical continuity between two chromatids persisting during the later phases of mitosis and constituting a possible source of somatic genetic change
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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