braid

[ breyd ]

/ breɪd /

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See synonyms for: braid / braided / braids on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to weave together strips or strands of; plait: to braid the hair.

to form by such weaving: to braid a rope.

to bind or confine (the hair) with a band, ribbon, etc.

to trim with braid, as a garment.

noun

a braided length or plait, especially of hair.

a hairstyle formed by interweaving three or more strands of hair.

a narrow, ropelike band formed by plaiting or weaving together several strands of silk, cotton, or other material, used as trimming for garments, drapery, etc.

a band, ribbon, etc., for binding or confining the hair.

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Origin of braid

First recorded before 950; Middle English braiden, breiden (verb), Old English bregdan “to move quickly, move to and fro, weave”; cognate with Old Norse bregtha, Dutch breien

OTHER WORDS FROM braid

braider, nounwell-braided, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH braid

braid , brayed

Words nearby braid

Brahminy kite, Brahmo Samaj, Brahms, Brahms, Johannes, Brahui, braid, braid bar, braided, braided channel, braided stream, braiding

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use braid in a sentence

It’s also the latest twist in an intellectual braid that started long ago with an ancient curiosity.
Undergraduates Hunt for Special Tetrahedra That Fit Together|Kevin Hartnett|February 9, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Her side-parted, carefully smoothed style tapered to an extension braid.
She used Gorilla Glue as hairspray. After 15 washes and a trip to the ER, it still won’t budge.|Lateshia Beachum|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
Studies show that common hairstyles like braids, twists, and Afros can affect job prospects.
Beauty businesses are struggling without us|Melinda Fakuade|October 30, 2020|Vox
Basically, they want either a ponytail or braid that's 10 to 12 inches long of clean, not chemically treated hair.
Hints From Heloise: Let it grow, then let it go|Heloise Heloise|October 30, 2020|Washington Post

It is based on yet another area of mathematics involving transforming a set of numbers by combining elements, often according to elaborate geometric patterns, such as braids.
Quantum computers threaten to end digital security. Here’s what’s being done about it|Jeremy Kahn|September 11, 2020|Fortune
Boys let me know they liked me, too, and I realized that I looked good, tall and slim, my long hair in a braid down my back.
My Vanished Liberia|Leymah Gbowee|October 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
E.J. Montoya, 16, has the well-muscled shoulders of a football player and a glossy, black braid down his back.
A Teen's Third-World America|Eliza Griswold|December 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
There were more snubs than you could shake your DNA-sharing braid at.
Best of the Golden Globes|Choire Sicha|January 17, 2010|DAILY BEAST
(9 p.m.) WEDNESDAY Braid Paisley and Carrie Underwood host the 42nd annual CMA Awards on ABC.
What to Watch on TV This Week|Nicole Ankowski|November 9, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Her hair had fallen from its pins and hung in a braid, its length concealed by her position, and making the effect of a queue.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
I want a spool of red silk, two pieces of crimson dress braid, and a spool of fifty cotton.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater
She wore overalls and high boots, and the night braid of her hair was twisted several times round her throat.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
She hurried on her riding-clothes, dropped her braid under her jacket, and ran down the stairs.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Yes; for every wound we get we have the right to wear a narrow strip of gold braid on the tunic sleeve.
Private Peat|Harold R. Peat

British Dictionary definitions for braid (1 of 2)

braid¹

/ (breɪd) /

verb (tr)

to interweave several strands of (hair, thread, etc); plait

to make by such weavingto braid a rope

to dress or bind (the hair) with a ribbon, etc

to decorate with an ornamental trim or borderto braid a skirt

noun

a length of hair, fabric, etc, that has been braided; plait

narrow ornamental tape of woven silk, wool, etc

Derived forms of braid

braider, noun

Word Origin for braid

Old English bregdan to move suddenly, weave together; compare Old Norse bregtha, Old High German brettan to draw a sword

British Dictionary definitions for braid (2 of 2)

braid²

/ (bred, breɪd) Scot /

adjective

broad

adverb

broadly; frankly

Word Origin for braid

Scot variant of broad

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

braid

Origin of braid

OTHER WORDS FROM braid

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH braid

Words nearby braid

Words related to braid

How to use braid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for braid (1 of 2)

Derived forms of braid

Word Origin for braid

British Dictionary definitions for braid (2 of 2)

Word Origin for braid