He stood to attention with his shoulders braced.    From Wordnet, Princeton University. 

Noun : a brace of grouse.    From Dictionary.com. 

Verb (used with object) : He braces himself when the ship rolls. Brace yourself for some bad news.    From Dictionary.com. 

The back wall of this building was braced, which is lucky for us.    From Wordnik.com. Reference

But you just kind of braced and figured something was going to kill me.    From Wordnik.com.  [CNN Transcript Jan 15, 2009] Reference

Everybody kind of braced themselves pretty much on the seat in front of them.    From Wordnik.com.  [CNN Transcript Dec 9, 2005] Reference

So I pulled my jacket over my head and I kind of braced made arms against the corner of the wall because I knew I'd be buried.    From Wordnik.com.  [CNN Transcript Sep 11, 2002] Reference

And he kind of braced himself for that, that this could be a very up and down day for the rescue teams and the families as well.    From Wordnik.com.  [CNN Transcript Dec 16, 2006] Reference

Britain braced for more snow.    From Wordnik.com.  [Archive 2005-03-01] Reference

The name braced Stephen at once.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Man] Reference

"So we kind of braced ourselves, and then that's when it crashed into the dock.".    From Wordnik.com.  [NY1 - Top Stories] Reference

I am 'braced' for the descent in to my house of Debbie Gadget and her mates in the early hours.    From Wordnik.com.  [POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG] Reference

Your abdominal wall should be "braced" at all times when exercising or doing anything physical.    From Wordnik.com.  [EMSResponder.com: Top EMS News] Reference

The doors are also beta-braced, meaning they close with a solid, precise sound and no resonance.    From Wordnik.com.  [Buick Introduces the All-New 2012 Verano - Yahoo! Finance] Reference

The doors are also beta-braced, meaning they close with a solid, precise sound and no resonance.    From Wordnik.com.  [Autoblog] Reference

"It's a very high-growth area, and Surf City has utilities and they're kind of braced for growth," he said.    From Wordnik.com.  [news | WM | http://www.starnewsonline.com] Reference

"Is that an old tub?" whispered Sam, still standing stiffly as if his body had permanently taken the "braced" shape.    From Wordnik.com.  [Captain Jinks, Hero] Reference

We "braced" them at once, marching down upon them as they were murmuring with heads together over a mass of typewritten sheets.    From Wordnik.com.  [Zone Policeman 88; a close range study of the Panama canal and its workers] Reference

The magical girl braced herself as the door opened.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Impossible Man - Ep.6: Step into the Squared Circle] Reference

I fell outward, braced myself against the luggage cart.    From Wordnik.com.  [Creatures: A Memoir] Reference

Traders braced for further drops in pharmacy-benefit manager.    From Wordnik.com.  [Investors Brace for More Wounds to Medco] Reference

Angela ran to them as Michael braced himself for the teen's hug.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Impossible Man - Ep.11: Best Friends] Reference

He braced and waited for it to stop, trying to protect his face.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Cryerer] Reference

Leg and hip STILL in a V-shape cast braced up and out at an angle.    From Wordnik.com.  [Peeg and Brie (opening of a teen novel)] Reference

The activists were angry, and local officials braced for the worst.    From Wordnik.com.  [Taking Up Arms Against Aids] Reference

The beards face him braced at attention, forking the word in the cold.    From Wordnik.com.  [Inaccrochable] Reference

I am on the bank, the rope wound round my waist, braced against a rock.    From Wordnik.com.  [Robert Kennedy Remembered by Jean Baudrillard] Reference

There he squatted, one elbow braced on the tub edge, and washed himself.    From Wordnik.com.  [Relativity] Reference

The staff braced for the story to appear in the Post on Sunday, Sept. 22.    From Wordnik.com.  [Don't Look Now] Reference

Most expectant couples are braced for sleep deprivation and dirty diapers.    From Wordnik.com.  [AND NOW, THE HARD PART] Reference

Nasa scientists braced for 'solar tsunami' to hit earth (Telegraph. co.uk).    From Wordnik.com.  [Daily Dispatch: Office 2011 for Mac includes Outlook; 'Solar tsunami' could disrupt communications] Reference

I braced myself for Eric's impatience, but as it turned out, I didn't need to.    From Wordnik.com.  [To the Top of Half Dome and Beyond] Reference

      In the stall, I braced the bottom of the bottle against my sternum.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Body of a Cow] Reference

The shopkeeper was worried about their next move and braced himself for a catfight.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Impossible Man - Ep.15: Journey and a Half] Reference

Then he braced himself on the coffee table and coerced himself into an upright position.    From Wordnik.com.  [Fasting to a Comfortable Death] Reference

As it turned out, it was one of the best days of my life, but I was braced for the worst.    From Wordnik.com.  ['It Stuns Me'] Reference

He had braced himself for seeing his former detractors raise a glass to their own smarts.    From Wordnik.com.  [ONE MAN'S FLIGHT OF FANCY] Reference

Rumsfeld braced the reporter: "Are you trying to find some daylight between Colin and me?".    From Wordnik.com.  [Chemistry In The War Cabinet] Reference

So when I appeared on his show last month, I braced myself for a new kind of incoming fire.    From Wordnik.com.  [Who Are You Calling Rambo?] Reference

With that record, investors should have been braced for just about anything. [email protected].    From Wordnik.com.  [Overheard: Loss Leader] Reference

As the oil spread toward land, the world braced for a heartbreaking environmental catastrophe.    From Wordnik.com.  [Heartbreak Postponed] Reference

In Los Angeles on December 9, 1994, I braced myself and went to see Dutch in his skyscraper suite.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Gipper's 'Long Goodbye'] Reference

She braced herself as the executive's knuckles cracked when curled into a fist and the door closed.    From Wordnik.com.  [Arcana Magi - c.24: Desperation] Reference