bronze

American  

[bronz] / brɒnz /

noun

• bronzes
  plural

1. Metallurgy.

   1. any of various alloys consisting essentially of copper and tin, the tin content not exceeding 11 percent.

   2. any of various other alloys having a large copper content.

2. a metallic brownish color.

3. a work of art, as a statue, statuette, bust, or medal, composed of bronze.

4. Numismatics. a coin made of bronze, especially one from the Roman Empire.

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verb (used with object)

• bronzes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bronzed,
  past participle,  past
• bronzing
  present participle

1. to give the appearance or color of bronze to.

2. to make brown, as by exposure to the sun.

   The sun bronzed his face.

3. Printing.

   1. to apply a fine metallic powder to (the ink of a printed surface) in order to create a glossy effect.

   2. to apply a fine metallic powder to (areas of a reproduction proof on acetate) in order to increase opacity.

adjective

1. having the color bronze.

bronze British  

/ brɒnz /

noun

1. 1. any hard water-resistant alloy consisting of copper and smaller proportions of tin and sometimes zinc and lead

   2. any similar copper alloy containing other elements in place of tin, such as aluminium bronze, beryllium bronze, etc See also phosphor bronze gunmetal Compare brass

2. a yellowish-brown colour or pigment

3. a statue, medal, or other object made of bronze

4. short for bronze medal

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adjective

1. made of or resembling bronze

2. of a yellowish-brown colour

   a bronze skin

verb

1. (esp of the skin) to make or become brown; tan

2. (tr) to give the appearance of bronze to

bronze Scientific  

/ brŏnz /

1. A yellow or brown alloy of copper and tin, sometimes with small amounts of other metals such as lead or zinc. Bronze is harder than brass and is used both in industry and in art.

2. An alloy of copper and certain metals other than tin, such as aluminum.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bronzelike
  adjective
• bronzy
  adjective
• prebronze
  adjective
• quasi-bronze
  adjective
• unbronzed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bronzes
  plural

Participles

• bronzing
  present
• bronzed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bronze
  simple
• bronzes
  simple
• have bronzed
  perfect
• has bronzed
  perfect
• am bronzing
  progressive
• are bronzing
  progressive
• is bronzing
  progressive
• have been bronzing
  perfect progressive
• has been bronzing
  perfect progressive

Past

• bronzed
  simple
• had bronzed
  perfect
• was bronzing
  progressive
• were bronzing
  progressive
• had been bronzing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bronze
  simple
• will have bronzed
  perfect
• will be bronzing
  progressive
• will have been bronzing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bronze

1730–40; < French < Italian, of obscure origin

Explanation

Bronze is a dull gold-colored metal that's used to make musical instruments, sculptures, and coins. If you get a bronze medal in the Olympics, you came in third place — nice job! Bronze is an alloy of copper, tin, and other metals. For a long time, pennies were made of bronze (today they use zinc). Cymbals, bells, and gongs are traditionally crafted using bronze, and you'll get tired of counting the many bronze sculptures found in most art museums. As a verb, this word is frequently used to mean "tan," so while you burn when you forget your sunblock, your cousin tends to bronze to a burnished shade of brown.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bronze bronzes bronzed bronzing

Last September, a suspect stripped a bronze marker from a beachside memorial for lifeguard pioneer Vincent G. Moorhouse, who is credited with modernizing the local lifeguard service, in Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Detectives combed through video surveillance footage and identified a suspect, Sean Paul Green, whom prosecutors allege was also responsible for the bronze thefts in Tustin and other cities, including Long Beach and Huntington Beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

But Backstedt made her battle hard on a long, winding, technical course to secure just the third British medal in the discipline, with Emma Pooley taking gold in 2010 and bronze a year later.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

He came home with a silver medal in 2016 and a bronze the next year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

He would probably go ashore often, set up a portable foundry on the beach, and fashion the tools and weapons that had been ordered using the scrap bronze that he had onboard.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

This is the largest presentation of Giacometti’s plaster sculptures in the U.S.—and for those who know only his bronzes, a few of which are included in the show, it is revelatory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

And compared with the bronzes, the plasters are especially sensitive, fragile—you’re drawn to protect them, but any touch seems like it would be too much for these waifish bodies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

In a clever piece of installation design, shelves built around the screen bring the painting’s illusions to life, displaying real bronzes, porcelains, texts and scholarly objects from Lee’s collection—modern curation fulfilling classical cultural capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

"The expense is in the making of the bronzes, that's why it costs a lot to have them done. Money value in the metal it is nothing," he said.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Perhaps a speculative novel where the main character is an archaeologist digging for bronzes who is then transported to an idyllic past?

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A red cartoon hunk of steak, a bronzed turkey, a few shrimp, a tub of unsweetened yogurt, an apple and a bag of frozen peas cascade alongside him.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

She has shared a before-and-after with her 59,000 followers: Her face, once splotchy with some acne scarring, is now clear, bronzed and glowing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

We wanted pasta that stretched and sighed, casseroles that arrived bubbling and bronzed, soups that tasted like something rescued from memory and improved by adulthood.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025

She posted images of city workers prying out the two figures from the bench and the bronzed Castro and Guevara being ignominiously hauled away in a bulldozer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025

Joe, sun bronzed and barefoot in his jersey and shorts, took Joyce, slight and slender in a frilly white summer dress, and twirled her once under his long, outstretched arm.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

“They’ve had a curated set of items that they’ve gone after, so whether that be in blushes or in lips or in highlighter or bronzing categories, they’re seeing strength across the board,” Fields said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Not long ago, the “Mar-a-Lago face” seemed inescapable — a viral shorthand for an exaggerated cosmetic aesthetic marked by heavy bronzing, sharply sculpted cheeks, overly plumped lips and high-gloss polish.

From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2026

Bahder, whose expertise traditionally involves detecting lethal bronzing in palm trees, explained that the fundamental process of molecular testing is similar across different organisms, with the main difference being the DNA sequence.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024

“He’s been applying his bronzing cream to his face. Cute couple. Look out, Melania, Trump’s got a new squeeze named Elonia Musk.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2024

This cover is intended to protect the lamp from the dust, which greatly injures the bronzing of the Hadrot lamp.

From The Ladies' Work-Book Containing Instructions In Knitting, Crochet, Point-Lace, etc. by Unknown