1. Home
2. Idioms
3. brace up

brace up

---

---

brace someone or something up

to prop up or add support to someone or something. They braced the tree up for the expected windstorm. They braced up the tree again after the storm.

See also: brace, up

brace up

to take heart; to be brave. Brace up! Things could be worse. I told John to brace up because things would probably get worse before they got better.

See also: brace, up

brace up

Also, brace oneself. Summon up one's courage or resolve, as in Brace up, we don't have much farther to go, or Squaring his shoulders, he braced himself for the next wave. This idiom uses brace in the sense of "to bolster" or "to strengthen." The first term dates from the early 1700s, the variant from about 1500.

See also: brace, up

brace up

v.

1. To provide something or someone with additional support; prop up someone or something: We used plywood to brace up the wall paneling. The old tower would have fallen down if we hadn't braced it up.

2. To prepare or strengthen someone or something to face some challenge: We braced up the car for the road race. They gave me some encouraging words to brace me up for the interview. I'm glad you were braced up for your exams.

3. To summon one's strength or endurance; prepare to face a challenge: I spent all day bracing up for my performance in the concert that evening.

See also: brace, up