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• bridge
  bridge

  noun

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

  noun

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

bridge

¹ American  

[brij] / brɪdʒ /

noun

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

2. 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.

3. Nautical.

   1. a raised transverse platform from which a power vessel is navigated: often includes a pilot house and a chart house.

   2. any of various other raised platforms from which the navigation or docking of a vessel is supervised.

   3. a bridge house or bridge superstructure.

   4. a raised walkway running fore-and-aft.

4. Anatomy. the ridge or upper line of the nose.

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

6. Music.

   1. a thin, fixed wedge or support raising the strings of a musical instrument above the sounding board.

   2. a transitional, modulatory passage connecting sections of a composition or movement.

   3. (in jazz and popular music) the contrasting third group of eight bars in a thirty-two-bar chorus; channel; release.

7. Also 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.

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

9. 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.

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

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

12. Metallurgy.

    1. a ridge or wall-like projection of fire brick or the like, at each end of the hearth in a metallurgical furnace.

    2. 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.

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

14. Billiards, Pool.

    1. the arch formed by the hand and fingers to support and guide the striking end of a cue.

    2. 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.

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

16. Theater.

    1. 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.

    2. British. a part of the floor of a stage that can be raised or lowered.

17. Horology. a partial plate, supported at both ends, holding bearings on the side opposite the dial.

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

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

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

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verb (used with object)

• bridges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bridged,
  past participle,  past
• bridging
  present participle

1. to make a bridge or passage over; span.

   The township was laid out on the north bank in 1873, and the river was bridged in 1874.

   We believe there is a fundamental gulf between the parties, and no further bargaining will bridge that divide.

   Synonyms:

   vault, cross, traverse

2. to join by or as if by a bridge.

   A ladder bridged the two porches for access while we were repairing the steps.

   Using intentional strategies to bridge between a child’s home language and English in the early years will lead to stronger language skills in the future.

   Synonyms:

   unite, connect, link

3. to make (a way) by a bridge.

verb (used without object)

• bridges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bridged,
  past participle,  past
• bridging
  present participle

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

adjective

1. (especially of clothing) less expensive than a manufacturer's most expensive products.

   showing his bridge line for the fall season.

idioms

1. 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.

2. bridge the gap, see bridge the gap.

bridge ² American  

[brij] / brɪdʒ /

noun

Cards.

1. a game derived from whist in which one partnership plays to fulfill a certain declaration against an opposing partnership acting as defenders.

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bridge ¹ British  

/ brɪdʒ /

noun

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

2. something that resembles this in shape or function

   his letters provided a bridge across the centuries

3. 1. the hard ridge at the upper part of the nose, formed by the underlying nasal bones

   2. any anatomical ridge or connecting structure Compare pons

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

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

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

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

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

9. 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

10. computing a device that connects networks and sends packets between them

11. billiards snooker

    1. a support for a cue made by placing the fingers on the table and raising the thumb

    2. a cue rest with a notched end for shots beyond normal reach

12. theatre

    1. a platform of adjustable height above or beside the stage for the use of stagehands, light operators, etc

    2. a part of the stage floor that can be raised or lowered

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

14. to promote reconciliation or cooperation between hostile groups or people

15. See burn 1

16. to deal with a problem only when it arises; not to anticipate difficulties

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verb

1. to build or provide a bridge over something; span

   to bridge a river

2. to connect or reduce the distance between

   let us bridge our differences

bridge ² British  

/ brɪdʒ /

noun

1. 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

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Bridge ³ British  

/ brɪdʒ /

noun

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

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bridge Scientific  

/ brĭj /

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

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bridge More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bridgeable
  adjective
• bridgeless
  adjective
• bridgelike
  adjective
• unbridgeable
  adjective
• unbridged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• bridging
  present
• bridged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bridge
  simple
• bridges
  simple
• have bridged
  perfect
• has bridged
  perfect
• am bridging
  progressive
• are bridging
  progressive
• is bridging
  progressive
• have been bridging
  perfect progressive
• has been bridging
  perfect progressive

Past

• bridged
  simple
• had bridged
  perfect
• was bridging
  progressive
• were bridging
  progressive
• had been bridging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bridge
  simple
• will have bridged
  perfect
• will be bridging
  progressive
• will have been bridging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bridge¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brigge, brugge, bregge, Old English brycg, bricg; cognate with Dutch brug, German Brücke; akin to Old Norse bryggja “gangway; pier”

Origin of bridge²

First recorded in 1885–90; earlier britch, biritch; of obscure origin; perhaps from Turkish bir “one” + üç “three” (one hand being exposed while the other three are concealed), but such a name for the game is not attested in Turkey or the Middle East, from where it is alleged to have been introduced into Europe

Explanation

A bridge is what gets you from one side of the river to the other. A bridge connects things. The bridge of your nose connects your nose to your head — it's where the bridge of your eyeglasses rests. If you insult your boss and quit your job, you've "burned your bridges" — you can’t go back. If you're not going to worry yourself about a possible problem, you can say "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." The vertical piece that holds the strings up on a violin, guitar, or other stringed instrument is also a bridge, and in a song, the bridge is the part between a verse and the chorus — the transition between them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bridge Bridge bridges bridged bridging

Suzuki commissioned the 3,921-pound Kasuga-style lantern, which arrived in five pieces in late 1965 and became the centerpiece of a garden that also featured a small wooden bridge and a collection of rocks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

The middle section—called a bridge or release—opens onto pivotal chords, a harmonic highway that lifts the song to a brighter emotional plane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Ohanian is determined to bridge a perceived disconnect between the attention on the sport at each Olympic Games compared to the rest of the calendar in those four-year cycles.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

To bridge the gap, Meta’s marketing strategy will likely need to pivot from selling connection and convenience to proving reliability—perhaps by encouraging users to test Muse on lower-stakes tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

They had just crossed the bridge from Magpie Island to the mainland when the earthquake hit.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

An earlier version of this article incorrectly said it had views of the George Washington Bridge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

In a statement, the family said there was "no evidence placing him on Putney Bridge at that time, and no credible evidence that he was the man shown in the footage".

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Clearlake’s greater control of Chelsea paves the way for a decision on building a new stadium or redeveloping Stamford Bridge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Los Angeles police corralled and arrested scores of minibike riders on Sunday, thwarting a takeover of 6th Street Bridge, police said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

"We would have been here earlier, but Penn Station's shut down because of a water-main break. And they've closed the Brooklyn Bridge because of some cracks in one of the towers."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Tired and heading back to the hotel, their real-estate agent proposed they look at one more place: a penthouse in Soho with rooftop views of the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

“I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,” Sheeran wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

In 2023, a glacial lake outburst flood in Sikkim killed at least 70 people and caused widespread damage to roads, bridges and hydropower projects.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Computer simulations then revealed what appears to make this close contact possible: positively charged metal ions can settle into the grooves of DNA and serve as tiny molecular bridges between the two molecules.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

Five days after that first air-raid siren, we heard a rumor that there were guards on the bridges of the Vistula River.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

He knows the likely financial gap that needs to be bridged as West Ham face their first season outside the top flight since 2012.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

The stockpile swaps bridged longer shipping times, and alternative cargoes began to arrive in force.

From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026

The most famous story-style intro — it literally begins with, “Here’s a story” — belongs to “The Brady Bunch,” which bridged the 1960s and ’70s, a decade that saw the ebbing of title-sequence stories.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

First with the Cambridge Footlights and later with the Pythons, Idle honed a linguistically-focused style that bridged highbrow absurdity and accessible, pop culture-driven humor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026

From his birth in 1868, Du Bois’ life bridged the years of Reconstruction and the twentieth-century movement.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Tom Bradley was a visionary in so many ways and I look to him for leadership on bridging different parts of the city together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

More recently, the researchers found tiny physical channels bridging the skull, dura, and brain tissue.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Parton’s time on “The Porter Wagoner Show” laid the foundation for an extraordinary career bridging pop and country music, fueled by the star’s one-of-a-kind showmanship.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

"We have the ability to close it, but they have the ability to open it up again," he told the BBC about bridging the gap to the top nations.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

“I brought it!” he said when I approached and sat next to him on the fallen tree bridging the stream.

From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed

Related Words

• link
• overpass
• platform