bridle

[brahyd-l]

noun

1. part of the tack or harness of a horse, consisting usually of a headstall, bit, and reins.

2. anything that restrains or curbs.

   His common sense is a bridle to his quick temper.

   Synonyms: check, governor

3. Machinery.,  a link, flange, or other attachment for limiting the movement of any part of a machine.

4. Nautical.,  a rope or chain secured at both ends to an object to be held, lifted, or towed, and itself held or lifted by a rope or chain secured at its center.

5. a raising up of the head, as in disdain.

verb (used with object)

bridled, bridling 

1. to put a bridle on.

2. to control or hold back; restrain; curb.

   Synonyms: limit, restrict, inhibit, constrain, govern, check

verb (used without object)

bridled, bridling 

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

   Synonyms: bristle

bridle

/ ˈbraɪdəl /

noun

1. a headgear for a horse, etc, consisting of a series of buckled straps and a metal mouthpiece (bit) by which the animal is controlled through the reins

2. something that curbs or restrains; check

3. a Y-shaped cable, rope, or chain, used for holding, towing, etc

4. machinery a device by which the motion of a component is limited, often in the form of a linkage or flange

verb

1. (tr) to put a bridle on (a horse, mule, etc)

2. (intr) (of a horse) to respond correctly to the pull of the reins

3. (tr) to restrain; curb

   he bridled his rage

4. to show anger, scorn, or indignation

Other Word Forms

• bridleless adjective
• bridler noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bridle¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bridle¹

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

Example Sentences

Though he bridled against the genteel expectations of his upbringing, he was popular and effortlessly debonair.

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When Edith-Anne announced that Rainbow needed a “new bridle and bit,” Penelope could have sworn it said “medicinal tar pit.”

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Behind the restaurant he found the dirt bridle path.

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One can surmise that this political shortsightedness also makes him bridle at believing that Trumpism is fascist, or that conservatism can morph into fascism.

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The handlers on the ground let go of the bridles and the cows suddenly shoot forward.

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