Definitions of brace:

• noun:   a structural member used to stiffen a framework
• noun:   the stock of a tool used for turning a drilling bit
• noun:   an appliance that corrects dental irregularities
• noun:   a support that steadies or strengthens something else

  Example: "He wore a brace on his knee"

• noun:   elastic straps that hold trousers up (usually used in the plural)
• noun:   a rope on a square-rigged ship that is used to swing a yard about and secure it
• noun:   either of two punctuation marks ({ or }) used to enclose textual material
• noun:   a set of two similar things considered as a unit
• noun:   two items of the same kind
• verb:   support by bracing
• verb:   support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace

  Example: "Brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel"

• verb:   prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
• verb:   cause to be alert and energetic
• name:  A surname (rare: 1 in 50000 families; popularity rank in the U.S.: #5459)