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• bridge
  bridge

  noun

  a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, or the like.
• Bridge
  Bridge

  noun

  Frank . 1879–1941, English composer, esp of chamber music. He taught Benjamin Britten

bridge

¹ American  

[brij] / brɪdʒ /

noun

1. a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, or the like.

2. a connecting, transitional, or intermediate route or phase between two adjacent elements, activities, conditions, or the like.

   Working at the hospital was a bridge between medical school and private practice.

3. Nautical.

   1. a raised transverse platform from which a power vessel is navigated: often includes a pilot house and a chart house.

   2. any of various other raised platforms from which the navigation or docking of a vessel is supervised.

   3. a bridge house or bridge superstructure.

   4. a raised walkway running fore-and-aft.

4. Anatomy. the ridge or upper line of the nose.

5. Dentistry. an artificial replacement, fixed or removable, of a missing tooth or teeth, supported by natural teeth or roots adjacent to the space.

6. Music.

   1. a thin, fixed wedge or support raising the strings of a musical instrument above the sounding board.

   2. a transitional, modulatory passage connecting sections of a composition or movement.

   3. (in jazz and popular music) the contrasting third group of eight bars in a thirty-two-bar chorus; channel; release.

7. Also a passage in a literary work or a scene in a play serving as a movement between two other passages or scenes of greater importance.

8. Ophthalmology. the part of a pair of eyeglasses that joins the two lenses and rests on the bridge or sides of the nose.

9. Also called bridge circuit. Electricity. a two-branch network, including a measuring device, as a galvanometer, in which the unknown resistance, capacitance, inductance, or impedance of one component can be measured by balancing the voltage in each branch and computing the unknown value from the known values of the other components.

10. Railroads. a gantry over a track or tracks for supporting waterspouts, signals, etc.

11. Building Trades. a scaffold built over a sidewalk alongside a construction or demolition site to protect pedestrians and motor traffic from falling materials.

12. Metallurgy.

    1. a ridge or wall-like projection of fire brick or the like, at each end of the hearth in a metallurgical furnace.

    2. any layer of partially fused or densely compacted material preventing the proper gravitational movement of molten material, as in a blast furnace or cupola, or the proper compacting of metal powder in a mold.

13. (in a twist drill) the conoid area between the flutes at the drilling end.

14. Billiards, Pool.

    1. the arch formed by the hand and fingers to support and guide the striking end of a cue.

    2. a notched piece of wood with a long handle, used to support the striking end of the cue when the hand cannot do so comfortably; rest.

15. transitional music, commentary, dialogue, or the like, between two parts of a radio or television program, podcast, or other broadcast.

16. Theater.

    1. a gallery or platform that can be raised or lowered over a stage and is used by technicians, stagehands, etc., for painting scenery paint bridge, arranging and supporting lights light bridge, or the like.

    2. British. a part of the floor of a stage that can be raised or lowered.

17. Horology. a partial plate, supported at both ends, holding bearings on the side opposite the dial.

18. Chemistry. a valence bond illustrating the connection of two parts of a molecule.

19. a support or prop, usually timber, for the roof of a mine, cave, etc.

20. any arch or rooflike figure formed by acrobats, dancers, etc., as by joining and raising hands.

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verb (used with object)

• bridges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bridged,
  past participle,  past
• bridging
  present participle

1. to make a bridge or passage over; span.

   The township was laid out on the north bank in 1873, and the river was bridged in 1874.

   We believe there is a fundamental gulf between the parties, and no further bargaining will bridge that divide.

   Synonyms:

   vault, cross, traverse

2. to join by or as if by a bridge.

   A ladder bridged the two porches for access while we were repairing the steps.

   Using intentional strategies to bridge between a child’s home language and English in the early years will lead to stronger language skills in the future.

   Synonyms:

   unite, connect, link

3. to make (a way) by a bridge.

verb (used without object)

• bridges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bridged,
  past participle,  past
• bridging
  present participle

1. Foundry. (of molten metal) to form layers or areas heterogeneous either in material or in degree of hardness.

adjective

1. (especially of clothing) less expensive than a manufacturer's most expensive products.

   showing his bridge line for the fall season.

idioms

1. burn one's bridges (behind one), to eliminate all possibilities of retreat; make one's decision irrevocable.

   She burned her bridges when she walked out angrily.

2. bridge the gap, see bridge the gap.

bridge ² American  

[brij] / brɪdʒ /

noun

Cards.

1. a game derived from whist in which one partnership plays to fulfill a certain declaration against an opposing partnership acting as defenders.

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bridge ¹ British  

/ brɪdʒ /

noun

1. a card game for four players, based on whist, in which one hand (the dummy) is exposed and the trump suit decided by bidding between the players See also contract bridge duplicate bridge rubber bridge auction bridge

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bridge ² British  

/ brɪdʒ /

noun

1. a structure that spans and provides a passage over a road, railway, river, or some other obstacle

2. something that resembles this in shape or function

   his letters provided a bridge across the centuries

3. 1. the hard ridge at the upper part of the nose, formed by the underlying nasal bones

   2. any anatomical ridge or connecting structure Compare pons

4. the part of a pair of glasses that rests on the nose

5. Also called: bridgework. a dental plate containing one or more artificial teeth that is secured to the surrounding natural teeth

6. a platform athwartships and above the rail, from which a ship is piloted and navigated

7. a piece of wood, usually fixed, supporting the strings of a violin, guitar, etc, and transmitting their vibrations to the sounding board

8. Also called: bridge passage. a passage in a musical, literary, or dramatic work linking two or more important sections

9. Also called: bridge circuit. electronics any of several networks, such as a Wheatstone bridge, consisting of two branches across which a measuring device is connected. The resistance, capacitance, etc, of one component can be determined from the known values of the others when the voltage in each branch is balanced

10. computing a device that connects networks and sends packets between them

11. billiards snooker

    1. a support for a cue made by placing the fingers on the table and raising the thumb

    2. a cue rest with a notched end for shots beyond normal reach

12. theatre

    1. a platform of adjustable height above or beside the stage for the use of stagehands, light operators, etc

    2. a part of the stage floor that can be raised or lowered

13. a partition in a furnace or boiler to keep the fuel in place

14. to promote reconciliation or cooperation between hostile groups or people

15. See burn 1

16. to deal with a problem only when it arises; not to anticipate difficulties

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verb

1. to build or provide a bridge over something; span

   to bridge a river

2. to connect or reduce the distance between

   let us bridge our differences

Bridge ³ British  

/ brɪdʒ /

noun

1. Frank . 1879–1941, English composer, esp of chamber music. He taught Benjamin Britten

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bridge Scientific  

/ brĭj /

1. A structure spanning and providing passage over a gap or barrier, such as a river or roadway.

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bridge More Idioms  

1. see burn one's bridges; cross that bridge when one comes to it; water over the dam (under the bridge).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bridgeable
  adjective
• bridgeless
  adjective
• bridgelike
  adjective
• unbridgeable
  adjective
• unbridged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• bridging
  present
• bridged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bridge
  simple
• bridges
  simple
• have bridged
  perfect
• has bridged
  perfect
• am bridging
  progressive
• are bridging
  progressive
• is bridging
  progressive
• have been bridging
  perfect progressive
• has been bridging
  perfect progressive

Past

• bridged
  simple
• had bridged
  perfect
• was bridging
  progressive
• were bridging
  progressive
• had been bridging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bridge
  simple
• will have bridged
  perfect
• will be bridging
  progressive
• will have been bridging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bridge¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English brigge, brugge, bregge, Old English brycg, bricg; cognate with Dutch brug, German Brücke; akin to Old Norse bryggja “gangway; pier”

Origin of bridge²

First recorded in 1885–90; earlier britch, biritch; of obscure origin; perhaps from Turkish bir “one” + üç “three” (one hand being exposed while the other three are concealed), but such a name for the game is not attested in Turkey or the Middle East, from where it is alleged to have been introduced into Europe

Explanation

A bridge is what gets you from one side of the river to the other. A bridge connects things. The bridge of your nose connects your nose to your head — it's where the bridge of your eyeglasses rests. If you insult your boss and quit your job, you've "burned your bridges" — you can’t go back. If you're not going to worry yourself about a possible problem, you can say "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." The vertical piece that holds the strings up on a violin, guitar, or other stringed instrument is also a bridge, and in a song, the bridge is the part between a verse and the chorus — the transition between them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bridge Bridge bridges bridged bridging

All metro and automobile traffic is now suspended across the bridge, causing major delays across the city.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

“When you see the bridge and cross it,” my neighbor Dave McDonald said the other day, “you feel like you’re home. It’s like a welcoming beacon.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Since then, in 2025 the Flintshire road was revived in a proposed transport plan, and this year the new Plaid government was said to be reviewing options to build the third Menai bridge.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

As the day approaches, I keep thinking about how large a funny little bridge can become in the lives of its neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

The road toward the bridge on the other side of the island was probably blocked by fallen trees.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

The Paton Bridge, further north, was open in one direction only, though there were no reports that it had been struck.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

But Newsom did highlight the environment in his final bill signing of the session, which he announced at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

James' memory lives on at Barton Town, whose 3,000-capacity ground is within eyeshot of the Humber Bridge.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Traffic built up due to the complete closure to all vehicles going in both directions on the Southern Bridge, one of eight bridges connecting the east and west of Kyiv over the Dnipro river.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

He finished the pasty and took a position on Waverley Bridge, which connected the old part of the city and its medieval streets to the new, modern section.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

While road damage in Manang has been serious, with several bridges swept away and communications down in some areas, no one had been killed in the trekking region, chief district officer Mukti Prasad Khanal said.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Tired and heading back to the hotel, their real-estate agent proposed they look at one more place: a penthouse in Soho with rooftop views of the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Though the latter has one of the best bridges of the year, its undeniably melancholic and macabre nature is what put it out of contention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Researchers believe these animals may have crossed temporary land bridges that appeared when sea levels fell during regressive phases of the proto-North Atlantic Ocean.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

We walked along the streets, crossing bridges over the canals, Hannie barely slowing her pace.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Intertitle cards bridged some comprehension gaps, but skilled directors used them sparingly.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

Just as impressive, though, is how the creation of the mural united cultures, bridged age gaps and erased borders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

“Costs are higher than they will be in the future, and that cost difference between projects today and in 10 years from now needs to be bridged with government money,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

It is in sharp contrast to the faith placed in Alexander-Arnold by Lee Carsley, England's Under-21 coach who bridged the gap between Southgate's departure and Tuchel's appointment.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

From his birth in 1868, Du Bois’ life bridged the years of Reconstruction and the twentieth-century movement.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Tom Bradley was a visionary in so many ways and I look to him for leadership on bridging different parts of the city together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

More recently, the researchers found tiny physical channels bridging the skull, dura, and brain tissue.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Parton’s time on “The Porter Wagoner Show” laid the foundation for an extraordinary career bridging pop and country music, fueled by the star’s one-of-a-kind showmanship.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

"We have the ability to close it, but they have the ability to open it up again," he told the BBC about bridging the gap to the top nations.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

They reached a fallen oak bridging the river, and crawled over it on their hands and knees.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• link
• overpass
• platform