brig
1 Americannoun
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Nautical.
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a two-masted vessel square-rigged on both masts.
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(formerly, in the U.S. Navy) an armed brig-rigged or brigantine-rigged vessel.
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the compartment of a ship where prisoners are confined.
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a place of confinement or detention, especially in the U.S. Navy or Marines; guardhouse.
abbreviation
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brigade.
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brigadier.
noun
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nautical a two-masted square-rigger
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a prison, esp in a navy ship
abbreviation
noun
Etymology
Origin of brig
First recorded in 1705–15; short for brigantine
Explanation
A brig is a prison, especially a naval or military prison. This meaning comes from the fact that two-masted warships known as brigs were historically used as floating prisons. The word brig is a shortened form of brigantine, "a small, two-masted ship" with large, square sails. These speedy sailing vessels were extremely common until the late 1800s, when steam ships became widely available. These days, most people in the U.S. think of a brig as a military prison, and if a Navy or Coast Guard sailor breaks the law, they'll be "thrown in the brig."
Vocabulary lists containing brig
Society and Solitude
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Blood on the River
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Ms. Bixby's Last Day
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They like Wash more than Titch, whom they throw in the brig, but they are nice, relatively speaking.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2025
The punishment can include confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge and it is largely based on how long they were away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 19, 2023
I would guess no based on their conversation while in the brig.
From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2023
He was intercepted mid-route by another ship, which returned him to the leaking brig he had tried to escape.
From Salon • Nov. 3, 2022
Lem tried to slip ashore again, and sat out the rest of the storm in the brig.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
