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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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
And singer Rose, a multiple Grammy nominee this year for "APT," her banger collab with Bruno Mars, wore a chic strapless black dress with a high slit and an outsized bird brooch at her waist.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
Alan Cumming was the host with the most, certainly when it came to hair embellishments and his sparkling brooch.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
He starts at Nick’s mouth, and then his eyes drop to the drink in Nick’s hand, and then his gaze wanders to a brooch on Martha’s sweater.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Salt crystals used to treat the garments were also reproduced on jackets and brooches.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
From huge flowers or watch brooches at Dolce & Gabbana to pins at Armani, the bling passed from hands to jackets during the fall/winter 2026/2027 shows in the Italian city.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
From her “controlled chaos” come intricate, ornate, one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings, brooches and rings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025
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
Inej saw guards emerge with little piles of brooches, porcupine quills, even sashes that Inej assumed must contain metal or wire.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
