to bridge over
- phrasal verb
:
cubrir
- Her generous donation helped bridge over the funding gap for the community center's renovation.
Examples
-
To bridge over the time until his next paycheck, he took on a part-time job.
-
The new policy was designed to bridge over the financial difficulties faced by employees during the transition.
-
What other actually, before we get to subjects and more books, because this this may bridge over to something that I did not know.
-
And then I tried to melt a little bit of black cable tie around it to kind of bridge over where the original brake was.
Synonyms
192
3.3
To go across an area or distance
50
3.9
To connect two people or groups to reduce a gap between them
17
4.0
To make it easier for two groups or ideas to understand each other
11
2.5
To have enough money or supplies to continue for a time
10
4.1
To give someone money or help so they can get through a short difficult time
Antonyms
How Supportive
2
3.7
102
4.0
10
4.1
- Informal
486
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
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 putting a small bridge or plank over a hole or gap so someone can get across until a bigger bridge is built. So to 'bridge over' a hard time means to 'cover a gap' between two times or situations until things improve.