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

The result was her 2024 Roberts Projects exhibit, “Betye Saar: New Work,” an objet trouvé medley in bronze and gold hues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Emily outlined how she recovered from her disappointment of finishing fourth to clinch her bronze.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

After winning bronze in Birmingham four years ago, Lamboria hopes to leave Glasgow with gold.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

In Glasgow, despite coming into the final as the fastest qualifier, he had to settle for bronze.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

In 1998, the society had enough of Dr. Harlow's money left to help pay for the bronze monument to Phineas Gage on the town green in Cavendish, Vermont.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

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

"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

The 41-year-old mother had won silver and bronzes at the past four Winter Games and wondered if her best shot at becoming an Olympic champion was behind her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

His show provided an antidote to the chilly Parisian air, with Middle Eastern warmth recreated through a colour palette of blush pinks, bronzes and desert tones.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

The Chola bronzes, cast in the eleventh century, include several different incarnations of the god Shiva.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

It is a dish born of abundance and branding — creamy, bronzed, a little breathless.

From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026

That afternoon in 2025, with his shellacked coif flapping against his bronzed forehead in the wind, the president held up hastily-assembled poster boards bearing the names of the world’s countries and territories.

From Salon ● Apr. 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

Effective public health messaging – which has drilled "Slip, Slop, Slap" into their heads – competes with a beauty culture which often idolises bronzed skin.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025

He was tall and lanky with a bronzed, sharp-boned face; his green eyes were twinkly, like he’d just gotten a joke someone had told him earlier.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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

The pangram from yesterday’s Spelling Bee was bronzing.

From New York Times ● Aug. 4, 2022

Hyposecretion of the corticosteroids can cause Addison’s disease, which may result in bronzing of the skin, hypoglycemia, and low electrolyte levels in the blood.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

At its foot grew a hanger of beeches, already bronzing to autumn.

From The Gentleman A Romance of the Sea by Ollivant, Alfred