bridle

[brahyd-l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bridle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

anything that restrains or curbs: His common sense is a bridle to his quick temper.

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

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.

a raising up of the head, as in disdain.

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.

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

Related formsbri·dle·less, adjectivebri·dler, noun

Can be confusedbridal bridle

Synonyms for bridle

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bridle ON THESAURUS.COM

2. governor. 2, 7. check. 7. govern, constrain, inhibit, restrict, limit. 8. bristle.

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

Related Words for bridled

control, inhibit, subdue, withhold, suppress, govern, rule, repress, restrain, master, curb, constrain, moderate

Examples from the Web for bridled

Contemporary Examples of bridled

I bridled, too, at the unsolicited advice she persisted in giving my friends.
Diane von Furstenberg: Becoming the Woman She Wanted to Be
Diane von Furstenberg
October 15, 2014
When pressed by his vice president—a fellow named Bush—to invade Panama and arrest its corrupt dictator, Reagan bridled.
The New GOP Warmongers
Matt Latimer
March 22, 2011

Historical Examples of bridled

The horse was saddled and bridled; the groom held the stirrup, and up I got.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
These were all saddled, bridled, and magnificently caparisoned.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
I was not too much abashed to take notice that the Kelpie bridled at this.
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood
George MacDonald
He bridled up at the word "illiterate," and repudiated the vile insinuation.
My New Curate
P.A. Sheehan
Miss Milliken bridled reproachfully at this slur on her sex.
The Girl on the Boat
Pelham Grenville Wodehouse

British Dictionary definitions for bridled

bridle

noun

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

something that curbs or restrains; check

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

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

verb

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

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

(tr) to restrain; curbhe bridled his rage

(intr often foll by at) to show anger, scorn, or indignation

Derived Formsbridler, 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

Word Origin and History for bridled

bridle

Old English bridel "bridle, rein, curb, restraint," related to bregdan "move quickly," from Proto-Germanic *bregdilaz (see braid (v.)).

bridle

"to control, dominate," c.1200, from Old English bridlian "to fit with a bridle," from bridel (see bridle (n.)). Meaning "to throw up the head" (as a horse does when reined in) is from mid-15c. Related: Bridled; bridling.