to brace oneself for
40
6.5
- phrasal verb
:
prepararse para
- Brace yourself for some bad news.
Examples
-
When she heard the news about the layoffs, she had to brace herself for the emotional impact.
-
He told her to brace herself for some tough questions during the interview.
-
You better brace yourself for tomorrow.
-
Then brace yourself for what I am about to tell you.
-
Brace yourself for worse news, John.
-
The door opened, and she braced herself for the expected attack.
Fiction book (1990) -
A frightened silence has fallen over the city, as Gotham braces itself for attack.
-
Annabelle clasped her hands more tightly together and braced herself for the storm.
Fiction book (1990) -
You need to brace yourself for the difficult exam results next week.
Synonyms
487
2.8
To make yourself ready in your mind for something unpleasant or difficult
150
4.4
To make something stronger or prepare yourself for something difficult
7
7.6
To prepare yourself to face something unpleasant or difficult
4
6.8
To get ready mentally for a difficult task
3
7.5
To prepare yourself mentally for something difficult or unpleasant
1
7.4
Get ready in your mind to face something unpleasant
How Prepared
7
7.6
40
6.5
- Informal
4
7.4
487
2.8
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to prepare mentally or emotionally for something' is directly derivable from combining 'brace' (to ready or support oneself for strain) with the reflexive 'oneself' and the preposition 'for' marking the upcoming event. This physical-to-figurative extension of 'bracing' is regular in English and common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the parts can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Brace oneself for comes from the literal image of getting ready for a hit: a person would brace oneself by making their body firm and steady before the blow. That's why the phrase means 'to prepare for something difficult'.