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suspension bridge

suspension bridge

4 3.6
A bridge with its road hung from large cables fixed at each end
  • noun
  • /səˈspɛnʃən brɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : puente colgante
  • The Golden Gate is an iconic suspension bridge that spans the San Francisco Bay.
  • build suspension bridges
  • world's highest suspension bridge
  • cross a suspension bridge

Examples

  • Just as iconic as the Brooklyn Bridge, which has become a symbol of all suspension bridges, is the Rion-Antirion bridge at the west end of the Gulf of Corinth in Greece.

    Academic text (2012)
  • A small pedestrian suspension bridge led across the water beside a brick home that was once the Harper Hotel.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The most beautiful thing in the world, in my eyes, was a suspension bridge.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Or perhaps some place in the mountains where you can find a suspension bridge.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Suspension bridges are built to support incredible weight.

  • Completed in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States.

    Blog text (17)
  • The first steel-wire suspension bridge in the world, the Brooklyn Bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn.

    Blog text (7)
  • The Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge at 359 meters above the Arkansas River.

    Blog text (17)
  • The 2.2 km Tsing Ma Bridge is the world's heaviest, longest road-and-rail suspension bridge.

    Blog text (9)
  • The Royal Gorge is one of America's most spectacular attractions and is home to the world's highest suspension bridge, which spans the blue-green Arkansas River at a height of 1,053 feet.

    Academic text (1994)

How Stable

bridge
1.0
suspension bridge
  • Specialized
4 3.6
footbridge
7 3.2
log
104 1.0
rope bridge
2 3.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

suspension + bridge

The meaning 'a bridge hung by suspension cables' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'suspension' (the act/condition of hanging) with 'bridge' (a span for crossing). This compositional pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Suspension bridge is named for how it works: the suspension part means the road is 'suspended', or hung from long cables stretched between towers like a hammock. That's why the name means a bridge whose road is held up by hanging cables.