bracket
The word evokes a sense of containment and structural support. Whether it is a physical piece of metal holding up a shelf or a punctuation mark holding a side-thought, the core image is one of creating a secure boundary or a designated space for something specific.
Countable when referring to a physical support or a punctuation mark. Uncountable when referring to the general concept of grouping or categorization.
Meanings
A sturdy L-shaped support fixed to a wall to hold a shelf.
The heavy bookshelf is held up by steel brackets.
A category or group of people sharing a similar characteristic, often regarding income or age.
They fall into the highest tax bracket.
Examples
Please put the date in brackets.
The heavy bookshelf is held up by steel brackets.
They fall into the highest tax bracket.
The author decided to bracket the side note.
The study brackets the participants by age.
Phrasal Verbs
bracket off
to separate or isolate a specific area or group using boundaries
The researchers decided to bracket off the control group to prevent contamination of the data.