bradawl

[ brad-awl ]

/ ˈbrædˌɔl /

Save This Word!

noun Carpentry.

an awl for making small holes in wood for brads.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of bradawl

First recorded in 1815–25; brad + awl

Words nearby bradawl

bract, bracteate, bracteolate, bracteole, brad, bradawl, Bradbury, bradded, Braddock, Braddock Hills, Bradenton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bradawl in a sentence

The animal can then usually be removed with a bradawl, or, better still, a sail needle stuck into a cork.
Beautiful Shells of New Zealand|E. G. B. Moss
They went out and bought a one-inch auger and a three-sixteenths bradawl, a thick footstool and a satchel.
The Pit Prop Syndicate|Freeman Wills Crofts
It is a bradawl, and its handle bears the name of Grandidier, which is that of a man who keeps some well-known metal works.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete|Emile Zola
For a whole week the press had been busy with the bradawl found under the entrance of the Duvillard mansion.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete|Emile Zola

I'm very well aware that my affair's clear enough as they've found that bradawl and know me.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete|Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for bradawl

bradawl

/ (ˈbrædˌɔːl) /

noun

an awl used to pierce wood, leather, or other materials for the insertion of brads, screws, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012