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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Bridge: Meaning, Examples, and Usage Guide (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：structure over water (bridge)

bridge 🔊

/brɪdʒ/

n., v.

Something built over a river, road, or valley so that people or vehicles can get across.

Stone arch bridge spanning a river in rural landscape

structure over water 🔊

➕

/ˈstrʌktʃər ˈoʊvər ˈwɔːtər/

n., v.

A physical construction built above a river, road, or valley to allow people or vehicles to cross from one side to the other.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'brycg', from Proto-Germanic '*brugjō', meaning a structure connecting two points.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine a bridge as a 'B' shaped like a rainbow, helping you cross over obstacles with ease.

📖 Example

We stopped on the old stone bridge to watch the ducks swim underneath. 🔊 We stopped on the old stone bridge to watch the ducks swim underneath.

🔗 Collocations

stone bridge – a bridge made of stone

cross the bridge – to go from one side of the bridge to the other

bridge construction – the process of building a bridge

🔄 Synonyms

viaduct (n.) – a long bridge-like structure carrying a road or railroad over a valley or another road

overpass (n.) – a bridge that carries a road over another road or railway

footbridge (n.) – a narrow bridge for people walking, not vehicles

🚫 Antonyms

river (n.) – the natural watercourse that a bridge crosses

gap (n.) – the empty space that a bridge spans

🌱 Derivatives

bridgeless (adj.) – having no bridge

bridgework (n.) – the construction or maintenance of bridges

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'bridge' has been used since Old English times. In modern culture, 'bridge' is frequently used metaphorically in business and diplomacy, e.g., 'building bridges between teams'.

Meaning 2：connecting link (bridge)

bridge 🔊

/brɪdʒ/

n., v.

Something that connects, reduces the distance between, or helps understanding between two different things or groups.

Two people shaking hands over a symbolic gap

connecting link 🔊

➕

/kəˈnektɪŋ lɪŋk/

n., v.

Something that brings two or more things together, reducing differences or aiding understanding—often used metaphorically for relationships, communication, or cultural exchange.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Music serves as a universal bridge between cultures, allowing people to share emotions without words. 🔊 Music serves as a universal bridge between cultures, allowing people to share emotions without words.

🔗 Collocations

bridge the gap – to reduce the differences between two things or groups

build bridges – to create connections or improve relationships between people or organizations

act as a bridge – to serve as a connection between two parties

🔄 Synonyms

link (n.) – something that connects two things

bond (n.) – a connection that joins people or groups

intermediary (n.) – a person or thing that acts as a link between others

🚫 Antonyms

barrier (n.) – something that prevents connection or movement

divide (n.) – a separation or difference between groups

🌱 Derivatives

bridgeable (adj.) – able to be connected or reconciled