1
: an overhanging member that projects from a structure (such as a wall) and is usually designed to support a vertical load or to strengthen an angle
2
: a fixture (as for holding a lamp) projecting from a wall or column
3
a
: one of a pair of marks [ ] used in writing and printing to enclose matter or in mathematics and logic as signs of aggregation
called also square bracket
b
: one of the pair of marks 〈 〉 used to enclose matter
called also angle bracket
d
4
: a section of a continuously numbered or graded series (such as age ranges or income levels)
5
: a pairing of opponents in an elimination tournament
bracketed; bracketing; brackets
1
a
: to place within or as if within brackets
editorial comments are bracketed
news stories bracketed by commercials
b
: to eliminate from consideration
bracket off politics
c
: to extend around so as to encompass : include
test pressures … which bracket virtually the entire range of passenger-car tire pressures—
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports2
: to furnish or fasten with brackets
3
: to put in the same category or group
bracketed in a tie for third
4
a
: to get the range on (a target) by firing over and short
b
: to establish the limits of
bracketed the problem neatly
c
: to take photographs of at more than one exposure in order to ensure that the desired exposure is obtained
Examples of bracket in a Sentence
Noun
The shelf is held up with two brackets.
There are wall brackets in the garage for the rakes and shovels.
She is taller than average for her age bracket.
He earned enough to put him in a higher tax bracket.
She is now in a lower income bracket than before.
Verb
I wouldn't exactly bracket your paintings with those of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
Recent Examples on the Web
Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The winning team would continue its strong momentum towards the CFP, while the losing squad would have more work to do to ensure a spot in the bracket.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
The house, wood-frame with a low brick façade in front, bracketed the back-yard pool, with upstairs bedrooms at both ends.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bracket
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The median luxury home, or a home in the top 5% price bracket, sold for $1,054,338 in the first half of 2025, up from just over $700,000 in 2020.
—Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The winning team would continue its strong momentum towards the CFP, while the losing squad would have more work to do to ensure a spot in the bracket.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
The helicopter, its body on the stairwell bannister, was wedged between the trees and the lampposts bracketing the entrance to the stairs.
—Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 12 Oct. 2025
The house, wood-frame with a low brick façade in front, bracketed the back-yard pool, with upstairs bedrooms at both ends.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bracket
Cite this Entry
“Bracket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bracket. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bracket
1 of 2 noun
brack·et
ˈbrak-ət 
1
: a support for a shelf or other weight usually attached to a wall
2
: a short wall shelf
3
a
: one of a pair of marks [ ] used to enclose words or mathematical symbols to be taken together
called also square bracket
b
: one of a pair of marks 〈 〉
—used to enclose written or printed matter
called also angle bracket
4
: class entry 1 sense 3a, group
especially
: one of a series of groups sorted according to income
5
: a pairing of opponents in an elimination tournament
bracket
2 of 2 verb1
: to place within or as if within brackets
2
: to put into the same class : associate
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