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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 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 ² 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 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

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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

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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

To find the perfect outfits that embodied this enmeshment, I returned to the place where I’d found my first bridge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

While mobile carriers are helping bridge that gap now, with generous trade-in and financing offers to help customers get new iPhones, that could change.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Hamilton, who once considered running as an independent, has pitched himself as a candidate that can bridge the partisan divide.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

To bridge this massive gap, we conducted a study to map the global burden of snake envenoming and related deaths.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

A sign on the bridge said, “Bear Creek.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Lisandro Martinez is sent off for Manchester United as they suffer a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to pile more pressure on under-fire manager Michael Carrick.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

United fans once again chanted their opposition to a new stadium at Stamford Bridge during the Chelsea defeat.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

A ramp of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge now hunches over the site.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

“Probably the single largest driver of increased access is the Bridge in Medicare,” Ilya Yuffa, president of Lilly Global Markets, said last month at the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference, according to an AlphaSense transcript.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Following the same route they had taken on Sunday, the marchers reached the entrance to the Pettus Bridge, then continued across the bridge to U.S.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Almgren finished the course, known for its long inclined bridges and sharp turns, in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second—13 seconds ahead of Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

“We need to pay for our roads and our bridges and our highways. We need to pay for mass transit. You can’t do it if you don’t have the money,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

In the music scene, the tattooed Argentine MC Cazzu bridges Latin trap with goth visuals, channeling the shadows of South American political history into an unfiltered, dynamic persona.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

However, bridges across the River Dnipro have been destroyed and sources say the riverbank is also mined and dangerous, so crossing into Ukrainian-controlled territory appears impossible.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

“The bridges aren’t burned. I’m so mad. Have been for a long time. But there’s a big difference between giving up hope and not being here. We’re still here, man.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Intertitle cards bridged some comprehension gaps, but skilled directors used them sparingly.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026

Calum McFarlane returns in the role of safety net between now and the end of the season, the former Under-21 coach having bridged the gap between Maresca and Rosenior earlier this season.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 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

They found a trunk that bridged the river, and Buzz put one son in front of him and the other behind him, inching their way across to the north bank.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Designers are bridging the gap with non-combustable materials such as composite decking, concrete, porcelain pavers and river rock within the 5-foot zone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

It praised “artificial intelligence and machine translation” as “cost-effective methods for bridging language barriers and reducing inefficiencies with the translation process,” and called for phasing out “unnecessary multilingual offerings.”

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

Time as a candidate, he said, has shown him the importance of effective communication within the court system in bridging language and cultural differences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Through the dirty window, I could see part of the overpass bridging the two Nogaleses and the chainlink fence separating the two cities.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

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Related Words

• link
• overpass
• platform

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