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
Gonzalez, 49, was one of six construction workers missing and presumed dead in the March 26 bridge collapse. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024 The bridge sustained minor damage, but the ship spilled more than 50,000 gallons of fuel oil into the bay. Joel Rose, NPR, 2 May 2024 Unified Command salvage teams said its teams had earlier found one of the construction vehicles reported missing when the bridge collapsed in March and notified the Maryland Department of State Police. Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 1 May 2024 The move from billion-user platforms back to balkanized networks on clubbier apps such as Discord could allow savvy individuals to step in and bridge distinct worlds. W. David Marx, The Atlantic, 1 May 2024 The bridge and the project's first phase from River Road to 11th Street is scheduled to finish and open by the end of 2024. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 1 May 2024 Soon, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a seriously uncomfortable housemate dynamic, evolves into something much more. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 1 May 2024 The docks are gaining cargo diverted from the port of Baltimore after a container vessel ran into a major bridge there, causing the bridge to collapse and halting cargo traffic. Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2024 Construction on the bridge, including removing and replacing the bridge itself, started in 2022 and is expected to finish in the fall. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 19 Apr. 2024
Verb
The British government has given Birmingham two years to get its accounts back in order and bridge the nearly £300 million deficit. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 3 May 2024 By bridging disparate platforms, systems, and applications, APIs have enabled a high degree of automation, such that data is now increasingly being used to its fullest potential. François Candelon, Fortune, 3 May 2024 This role offers a unique opportunity to bridge martial arts' historical and contemporary worlds. Kansas City Star, 3 May 2024 However, note infants do not typically need a multivitamin, so this is best suited to toddlers with picky eating habits who may need extra iron and other nutrients to bridge dietary gaps. Dahlia Rimmon, Parents, 1 May 2024 If there are glimmers of how trust gaps might be bridged, stark divides remain. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Apr. 2024 In a landscape where innovation knows no boundaries, venture capital firm Zero Knowledge Ventures bridges borders for global entrepreneurs aiming to conquer the US market. Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024 Today, Magic Kingdom Park bridges the old with the new, inviting guests to relive the tales of childhood and enjoy beloved attractions, like Pirates of the Caribbean. Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2024 And now the generative-AI boom, despite promises to bridge languages and cultures, may only further entrench the dominance of English in life on and off the web. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 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 6 May. 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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