bridging

[ brij-ing ]

/ ˈbrɪdʒ ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bridging ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Building Trades.

a brace or an arrangement of braces fixed between floor or roof joists to keep them in place.

Nearby words

bridgetown, bridgetree, bridgewall, bridgewater, bridgework, bridging, bridging loan, bridging shot, bridgman, bridgmanite, bridgwater

Origin of bridging

First recorded in 1830–40; bridge¹ + -ing¹

Definition for bridging (2 of 2)

bridge

[ brij ]

/ brɪdʒ /

noun

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

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.

Nautical.

a raised transverse platform from which a power vessel is navigated: often includes a pilot house and a chart house.
any of various other raised platforms from which the navigation or docking of a vessel is supervised.
a bridge house or bridge superstructure.
a raised walkway running fore-and-aft.

Anatomy. the ridge or upper line of the nose.

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

Music.

a thin, fixed wedge or support raising the strings of a musical instrument above the sounding board.
a transitional, modulatory passage connecting sections of a composition or movement.
(in jazz and popular music) the contrasting third group of eight bars in a thirty-two-bar chorus; channel; release.

Also bridge passage. 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.

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

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.Compare Wheatstone bridge.

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

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

Metallurgy.

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

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

Billiards, Pool.

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

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

Theater.

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

Horology. a partial plate, supported at both ends, holding bearings on the side opposite the dial.Compare cock¹(def 10).

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

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

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

verb (used with object), bridged, bridg·ing.

to make a bridge or passage over; span: The road bridged the river.

to join by or as if by a bridge: a fallen tree bridging the two porches.

to make (a way) by a bridge.

verb (used without object), bridged, bridg·ing.

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

adjective

(especially of clothing) less expensive than a manufacturer's most expensive products: showing his bridge line for the fall season.

Origin of bridge

before 1000; Middle English brigge, Old English brycg; cognate with Dutch brug, German Brücke; akin to Old Norse bryggja pier

SYNONYMS FOR bridge

21 traverse, cross, vault.

22 link, connect.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bridge ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

bridge·a·ble, adjectivebridge·less, adjectivebridge·like, adjectiveun·bridge·a·ble, adjective

un·bridged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bridging

Bridging the divide between the police and those who distrust them will take more than protests and symbolic gestures.
How to Solve the Policing Crisis|Keli Goff|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The best, or at least most successful, are bridging the gap between punk-rock DIY ethos and social-media savvy.
On Tour With The Head and the Heart, Indie Rock’s Next Big Thing|James Joiner|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bridging the world of The Patty Duke Show and Mary Tyler Moore, That Girl was a game changer.
Comedians and Feminism Getting Laughs|Agunda Okeyo|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Phillips and her co-authors suggest that work activities may be better-suited than social ones for bridging racial divides.
Office Parties Are Bad for Business|Jesse Singal|December 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He talks about bridging the much-discussed military-and-civilian divide.
A Night Along the Military-Civilian Divide: An Iraq Vet in New York|Matt Gallagher|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The corners of Figure 222 are, however, slightly accented by means of the bridging spots x-x.
Industrial Arts Design|William H. Varnum
His plans for bridging the Thames may be referred to in proof of his patriotic devotedness to improvement.
The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume V.|Various
She was glad to aid in bridging the chasm between north and south.
The Harris-Ingram Experiment|Charles E. Bolton
The moon is bridging Loon Lake, and the whip-poor-will is crying.
The Harvester|Gene Stratton Porter
It needs no argument to demonstrate the value of any movement that has for its purpose the bridging of the gulf.
Chapters in Rural Progress|Kenyon L. Butterfield

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (1 of 4)

bridging

/ (ˈbrɪdʒɪŋ) /

noun

one or more timber struts fixed between floor or roof joists to stiffen the construction and distribute the loads

mountaineering a technique for climbing a wide chimney by pressing left hand and foot against one side of it and right hand and foot against the other side

rugby Union an illegal move in which a player leans down and forward onto the body of a prone player in a ruck, thereby preventing opposing players from winning the ball by fair rucking

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (2 of 4)

Bridge

/ (brɪdʒ) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (3 of 4)

bridge

/ (brɪdʒ) /

noun

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

something that resembles this in shape or functionhis letters provided a bridge across the centuries

the hard ridge at the upper part of the nose, formed by the underlying nasal bones
any anatomical ridge or connecting structureCompare pons

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

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

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

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

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

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

computing a device that connects networks and sends packets between them

billiards snooker

a support for a cue made by placing the fingers on the table and raising the thumb
a cue rest with a notched end for shots beyond normal reach

theatre

a platform of adjustable height above or beside the stage for the use of stagehands, light operators, etc
mainly British a part of the stage floor that can be raised or lowered

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

build bridges to promote reconciliation or cooperation between hostile groups or people

burn one's bridges See burn 1 (def. 19)

cross a bridge when one comes to it to deal with a problem only when it arises; not to anticipate difficulties

verb (tr)

to build or provide a bridge over something; spanto bridge a river

to connect or reduce the distance betweenlet us bridge our differences

Derived Forms

bridgeable, adjectivebridgeless, adjective

Word Origin for bridge

Old English brycg; related to Old Norse bryggja gangway, Old Frisian bregge, Old High German brucka, Danish, Swedish bro

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (4 of 4)

bridge

/ (brɪdʒ) /

noun

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 playersSee also contract bridge, duplicate bridge, rubber bridge, auction bridge

Word Origin for bridge

C19: of uncertain origin, but compare Turkish bir-üç (unattested phrase) one-three (said perhaps to refer to the one exposed hand and the three players' hands)

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

Medicine definitions for bridging

bridge

[ brĭj ]

n.

An anatomical structure resembling a bridge or span.

The upper part of the ridge of the nose formed by the nasal bones.

A fixed or removable replacement for one or several but not all of the natural teeth, usually anchored at each end to a natural tooth.

One of the threads of protoplasm that appears to pass from one cell to another.

Science definitions for bridging

bridge

[ brĭj ]

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

Idioms and Phrases with bridging

bridge

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

bridging

noun Building Trades.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of bridging

Definition for bridging (2 of 2)

bridge

noun

verb (used with object), bridged, bridg·ing.

verb (used without object), bridged, bridg·ing.

adjective

Origin of bridge

SYNONYMS FOR bridge

Related forms

Examples from the Web for bridging

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (1 of 4)

bridging

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (2 of 4)

Bridge

noun

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (3 of 4)

bridge

noun

verb (tr)

Derived Forms

Word Origin for bridge

British Dictionary definitions for bridging (4 of 4)

bridge

noun

Word Origin for bridge

Medicine definitions for bridging

bridge

n.

Science definitions for bridging

bridge

Idioms and Phrases with bridging

bridge