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bridle

[ brahyd-l ]
/ ˈbraɪd l /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bridle

noun

verb (used with object), bri·dled, bri·dling.

to put a bridle on.
to control or hold back; restrain; curb.

verb (used without object), bri·dled, bri·dling.

to draw up the head and draw in the chin, as in disdain or resentment.

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Origin of bridle

before 900; Middle English bridel, Old English brīdel for brigdels, equivalent to brigd- (variant stem of bregdan to braid) + -els noun suffix; akin to Dutch breidel, Old High German brittel

OTHER WORDS FROM bridle

bri·dle·less, adjectivebridler, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bridle

bridal, bridle

Words nearby bridle

bridging shot, Bridgman, bridgmanite, Bridgwater, Bridie, bridle, bridle hand, bridle joint, bridle path, bridle suture, bridlewise
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to bridle

control, deterrent, leash, curb, restraint, rein, check, headstall, halter, hackamore, trammels, inhibit, subdue, withhold, suppress, govern, rule, repress, restrain, master

Example sentences from the Web for bridle

British Dictionary definitions for bridle

bridle
/ (ˈbraɪdəl) /

noun

verb

Derived forms of bridle

bridler, noun

Word Origin for bridle

Old English brigdels; related to bregdan to braid 1, Old High German brittil, Middle Low German breidel
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