<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>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.</li><li>a shelf or shelves so supported.</li><li>a square bracket or a curly bracket.</li><li>Mathematics: brackets, parentheses of various forms indicating that the enclosed quantity is to be treated as a unit.</li><li>(loosely) vinculum.</li><li>Informal: an expression or formula between a pair of brackets.</li><li>a grouping of people based on the amount of their income: the low-income bracket.</li><li>a class; grouping; classification: She travels in a different social bracket.</li><li>Sports: a diagram that tracks the process of elimination among sequentially paired opponents in a tournament.</li><li>Architecture: any horizontally projecting support for an overhanging weight, as a corbel, cantilever, or console.</li><li>any of a series of fancifully shaped false consoles beneath an ornamental cornice.</li><li>(on a staircase) an ornamental piece filling the angle between a riser and its tread.</li><li>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.</li><li>any member for reinforcing the angle between two members or surfaces.</li><li>a projecting fixture for gas or electricity.</li><li>Gunnery: range or elevation producing both shorts and overs on a target.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>to furnish with or support by a bracket or brackets.</li><li>to place within brackets; couple with a brace.</li><li>to associate, mention, or class together: Gossip columnists often bracket them together, so a wedding may be imminent.</li><li>Gunnery: to place (shots) both beyond and short of a target.</li><li>Photography: to take (additional shots) at exposure levels above and below the estimated correct exposure.</li></ul>