Noun

1. Item attached to a wall to hold up a shelf.
2. Generically any of "(", ")", "[", "]", "{", "}", and, in the area of computer languages, "<", ">".
3. "(" and ")" specifically, the other forms above requiring adjectives for disambiguation.
4. (Technical) "[" and "]" specifically - opposed to the other forms which have their own technical names.
5. 1. printed diagram of games in a tournament
   2. prediction of the outcome of games in a tournament, used for betting purposes
6. one of several ranges of numbers

   tax bracket, age bracket

Verb

1. To bound on both sides, to surround as enclosing with brackets.

   I tried to hit the bullseye by first bracketing it with two shots and then splitting the difference with my third, but I missed.

2. To place in the same category.

   Because the didn't have enough young boys for two full teams, they bracketed the seven-year olds with the eight-year olds.

3. To mark distinctly for special treatment.
4. To set aside, discount, ignore.
   • 2009, Michael Erard, “Holy Grammar, Inc.”, in Search Magazine, July–August 2009:

     SIL got access to academic legitimacy; linguists bracketed the evangelical engine that drives SIL because they got access to data and tools.