- a support, as of metal or wood, projecting from a wall or the like to hold or bear the weight of a shelf, part of a cornice, etc.
- a shelf or shelves so supported.
- a square bracket or a curly bracket.
- Mathematics.
- parentheses of various forms indicating that the enclosed quantity is to be treated as a unit.
- (loosely) vinculum (def. 2).
- an expression or formula between a pair of brackets.
- a grouping of people based on the amount of their income: the low-income bracket.
- a class; grouping; classification: She travels in a different social bracket.
- a diagram that tracks the process of elimination among sequentially paired opponents in a tournament.
- Architecture.
- any horizontally projecting support for an overhanging weight, as a corbel, cantilever, or console.
- any of a series of fancifully shaped false consoles beneath an ornamental cornice.
- (on a staircase) an ornamental piece filling the angle between a riser and its tread.
- Shipbuilding.
- a flat plate, usually triangular with a flange on one edge, used to unite and reinforce the junction between two flat members or surfaces meeting at an angle.
- any member for reinforcing the angle between two members or surfaces.
- a projecting fixture for gas or electricity.
- range or elevation producing both shorts and overs on a target.
- to furnish with or support by a bracket or brackets.
- to place within brackets; couple with a brace.
- to associate, mention, or class together: Gossip columnists often bracket them together, so a wedding may be imminent.
- to place (shots) both beyond and short of a target.
- to take (additional shots) at exposure levels above and below the estimated correct exposure.
- an L-shaped or other support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf, etc
- one or more wall shelves carried on brackets
- a support projecting from the side of a wall or other structure
- either of a pair of characters, [ ], used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text
- a general name for parenthesis, square bracket, brace (def. 6)
- a group or category falling within or between certain defined limits
- the distance between two preliminary shots of artillery fire in range-finding
- a skating figure consisting of two arcs meeting at a point, tracing the shape ⋎
- to fix or support by means of a bracket or brackets
- to put (written or printed matter) in brackets, esp as being irrelevant, spurious, or bearing a separate relationship of some kind to the rest of the text
- to couple or join (two lines of text, etc) with a brace
- to group or class together
- to adjust (artillery fire) until the target is hit
