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Glite Dictionary
🤝 To connect 🌉 To cover a gap
to bridge over

to bridge over

4.8
Make a connection between two things or people, for example to reduce differences
  • phrasal verb
  • /brɪdʒ ˈoʊvər/
translation icon : superar
  • His diplomatic skills helped to bridge over the disagreements between the two companies.

Examples

  • They bridged the communication gap over the years.

  • Can we bridge over our differences?

  • Efforts to bridge over the cultural differences took months of open discussion.

  • The new highway will bridge over the river, making travel much easier.

  • Efforts to bridge over the cultural differences took months of open discussion.

  • His diplomatic skills helped to bridge over the disagreements between the two companies.

  • Can we bridge over our differences during the meeting?

Synonyms

to bridge
vsto bridge over
50 3.9

To connect two people or groups to reduce a gap between them

is the same action but expressed as a two word phrase
to bridge the gap
vsto bridge over
  • Informal
17 4.0

To make it easier for two groups or ideas to understand each other

aims to connect or reduce differences without stressing facilitation of understanding
to mediate
vsto bridge over
16 5.5

To act as a link between two things

acts to make a direct connection and reduce gaps rather than being a stage

Antonyms

to divide
680 1.1

To split something into parts or groups

to put daylight between
8.8

To create distance from someone or something to avoid being too close

How Connected

to bridge over
4.8
to connect
278 1.1
link
684 1.4
to span
  • Specialized
98 3.4

Surface Forms

bridge over infinitive
bridged over past
bridged over past participle
bridging over present participle
bridges over third person singular

Morphology

bridge + over

The sense 'to provide or be enough to cover a gap or difficult period' follows directly from combining 'bridge' (to connect or close a gap) with 'over' (across/during), so the meaning is compositionally predictable. This motion/connection + across/duration pattern is common in English (and mirrored in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents is likely to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Bridge over comes from the picture of a real bridge built over a river or gap to join two sides; the bridge lets people cross from one side to the other. So to 'bridge over' differences means to 'connect' people or reduce the distance between them.