bracket
bracket — noun
1. a written mark from a matching set, such as ( ), [ ], or < >, used to separate e
a written mark from a matching set, such as ( ), [ ], or < >, used to separate extra words, numbers, or notes from the main text.
The editor put the missing date in square brackets.
pattern: put something in square brackets
Please write your phone number in brackets after your name.
pattern: in brackets after a word or phrase
Round brackets show the year of each painting.
Noa added angle brackets around the code on the slide.
types: round / square / angle brackets
- round brackets
- square brackets
- angle brackets
- put in brackets
- inside brackets
- parentheses
usually means round brackets, especially in American English
- square brackets
specific term for the marks [ ]
- braces
specific term for the marks { }, often in computing or math
- angle brackets
specific term for the marks < >
Usage Note
Usually plural when you mean the two marks together. In American English, 'parentheses' is often used for ( ), while 'brackets' may more often mean [ ].
Common Mistakes
2. a class in a system where all members fall between a stated low point and high p
a class in a system where all members fall between a stated low point and high point, for example in age, income, tax, or price.
The hotel falls into the middle price bracket for this area.
collocation: price bracket
Children in the ten-to-twelve age bracket can enter alone.
collocation: age bracket
After a July raise, Mei moved into a higher tax bracket.
collocation: tax bracket
This phone sits in the same bracket as many mid-range models.
pattern: in the same bracket as
- price bracket
- age bracket
- tax bracket
- income bracket
- in the same bracket as
Usage Note
Most common in set phrases such as 'age bracket', 'tax bracket', 'income bracket', and 'price bracket'. Often follows adjectives like 'higher', 'lower', 'top', 'middle', or 'same'.
Common Mistakes
3. an angled piece fixed to a wall or post to hold up a shelf, lamp, sink, or other
an angled piece fixed to a wall or post to hold up a shelf, lamp, sink, or other object.
Ravi screwed a metal bracket under the new kitchen shelf.
collocation: metal bracket under a shelf
One bracket came loose, so the wall lamp leaned down.
The sink rests on two strong brackets behind the cabinet.
pattern: rest on brackets
At the shop, Leila bought wooden brackets for a flower box.
- metal bracket
- wooden bracket
- shelf bracket
- wall bracket
- lamp bracket
Usage Note
Often appears with the thing supported or the material used, such as 'shelf bracket', 'lamp bracket', 'metal bracket', or 'wooden bracket'. The word names the support piece, not the object resting on it.
Common Mistakes
4. a chart that shows who plays whom in each round of a competition and where each
a chart that shows who plays whom in each round of a competition and where each winner goes next.
The coach pinned the tournament bracket beside the locker room door.
collocation: tournament bracket
After Friday's win, Bao checked the bracket for the next team.
pattern: check the bracket
One side of the bracket filled up faster than the other.
Fans studied the bracket online before the school basketball final.
- tournament bracket
- check the bracket
- fill out the bracket
- update the bracket
- draw
common in British English for the arrangement of matches, though not always the full chart
- matchup chart
plain descriptive term for who plays whom
- fixture list
lists games, but does not always show elimination paths
Usage Note
Used mainly for elimination competitions. Common verbs are 'check', 'update', 'study', and 'fill out', and the noun often appears as 'tournament bracket'.
bracket — verb
1. to place brackets on both sides of words, numbers, or part of a sentence.
to place brackets on both sides of words, numbers, or part of a sentence.
The teacher bracketed the date so students would not copy it.
bracket something in editing or teaching notes
Editors bracket added words in old letters for clarity.
common object: added words
Priya bracketed the final step in the math problem.
Please bracket the extra lines before you send the file.
- bracket the date
- bracket added words
- bracket the answer
- bracket the extra lines
- parenthesize
formal term, especially for adding round brackets
- enclose
broader word that can be used for marks, borders, or containers
- mark off
focuses on separating part of a text from the rest
Grammar Patterns
bracket something
Usage Note
Common with words, dates, comments, and steps in math. This sense is often used when someone adds material that was not part of the original text.
Common Mistakes
2. to treat people or things as belonging in the same class, or as closely connecte
to treat people or things as belonging in the same class, or as closely connected in some way.
Many critics bracket the singer with the best jazz artists in Brazil.
pattern: bracket A with B
The report brackets road safety and clean air as linked issues.
pattern: bracket A and B as linked
Nadia dislikes being bracketed with lazy classmates at school.
often passive: be bracketed with
Some buyers bracket local tea with expensive imports from Japan.
- bracket A with B
- bracket together
- be bracketed with
- closely bracketed
- distinguish
shows differences instead of treating things as the same
- separate
keeps things apart rather than linking them
Grammar Patterns
bracket A with B
be bracketed with somebody or something
Usage Note
Most often appears in the pattern 'bracket A with B'. Passive forms are common when someone dislikes the comparison or grouping.
Common Mistakes
3. to put supporting brackets on something, or to hold it up with those supports.
to put supporting brackets on something, or to hold it up with those supports.
Workers bracketed the old sink before replacing the pipes.
repair use: bracket a sink
The carpenter bracketed the wide shelf at both ends.
pattern: bracket something at both ends
After lunch, Yara bracketed the sign to the brick wall.
pattern: bracket something to a wall
The long shelf was bracketed from below with metal wall brackets.
passive: be bracketed from below
- bracket a shelf
- bracket a sink
- bracket to the wall
- bracket from below
Grammar Patterns
bracket something to something
bracket something from below
Usage Note
Technical building or repair use. The object is usually a shelf, sink, sign, lamp, or similar item that needs physical support.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/2
For this sense, all four words describe where something fits in a scale, but they are not used in exactly the same way. A 'bracket' is a named class between an upper and lower limit, so it is especially common in phrases like 'tax bracket', 'age bracket', and 'price bracket'. A 'range' is broader and simply tells you the spread between one point and another; it does not always imply a fixed class. A 'band' is common in official systems such as pay bands or tax bands. A 'tier' usually suggests rank, level, or status, often from lower to higher. So you can be in a tax bracket, sell phones in a price range, work in a higher pay band, or buy a top-tier service.
Etymology
The word first appeared in English in the late 1500s. It probably came from Middle French 'braguette', a word for a projecting front piece of clothing. That French form goes back through Old Occitan to Latin 'braca', meaning 'breeches', and probably to an even older Celtic source. The basic idea seems to have been something that sticks out, which helps explain why English first used it for a projecting support and later extended it to grouped limits, tournament charts, and the marks that set words apart in writing.