brooch
Americannoun
-
brooches
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of brooch
1175–1225; Middle English broche broach, differentiated in spelling since circa 1600
Explanation
That fancy pin your Grandma used to wear on her blouse or lapel? It's a brooch, held in place by a sharp needle clasp. Okay, it's a bit unfair to say Grandmothers alone wear brooches, but they do tend to be worn more by powerful older women — witness Margaret Thatcher and Madeleine Albright (both noted brooch wearers). Not surprisingly, brooch is derived from the old French word brooch, meaning "a long needle."
Vocabulary lists containing brooch
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Tuck Everlasting
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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.
See Examples For:
“It needs a ruffle,” she says, caught up in the process, before adding a frilly collar and glittering vintage brooch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
He finished his wedding-day look with a brooch, ruling out a boutonniere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
This week, Rausch’s fellow Traitors, Housewives Candiace Dillard Bassett and Lisa Rinna, get to peacock in a massive crown and, for Rinna, a brooch as bewitching as it is deadly.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
Chinese buyer John Chen, 45, sported a gold brooch in the shape of a triangle, the Milanese brand's logo, on a green sweater just below his neck.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
“Are those the treasures of your master? An old brooch, a cup, and a little stone knife? They don’t look like much.”
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
The museum also confirmed it lost a bust, brooches, a perfume bottle, two bracelets, comb, hatpin, belt buckle and several necklaces and pendants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Creating the world's next big gadget -- whether static, handheld, or wearable like earbuds, pendants and brooches -- is something of a holy grail for AI companies.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
On view are examples of bulbous book bindings, acid-etched vases, satin capes, parchment-covered cabinets, angular decanters, diamond-decorated cloche hats, geometric malachite brooches, stark bas-reliefs, Brancusi-faced collar ads, and boxy, black-lacquer screens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
Wreaths, metal pin badges, charms and brooches are also produced every year.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2024
Necklaces, brooches, banjos—none of them did anything for me.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
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.
