brake
1a device for slowing or stopping a vehicle or other moving mechanism by the absorption or transfer of the energy of momentum, usually by means of friction.
brakes, the drums, shoes, tubes, levers, etc., making up such a device on a vehicle.
anything that has a slowing or stopping effect.
Also called brakeman. a member of a bobsled team who operates the brake.
Also called breaker. Textiles. a tool or machine for breaking up flax or hemp, to separate the fiber.
Also called press brake . a machine for bending sheet metal to a desired shape.
Obsolete. an old instrument of torture.
to slow or stop by means of or as if by means of a brake.
to furnish with brakes.
to process (flax or hemp) by crushing it in a brake.
to use or run a brake.
to stop or slow upon being braked.
to run a hoisting machine.
Origin of brake
1Other words for brake
Other words from brake
- brake·less, adjective
Words Nearby brake
Other definitions for brake (2 of 4)
a place overgrown with bushes, brambles, or cane.
Origin of brake
2Other definitions for brake (3 of 4)
any of several large or coarse ferns, especially the bracken, Pteridium aquilinum.
Origin of brake
3Other definitions for brake (4 of 4)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use brake in a sentence
The large number of people already infected with the coronavirus in the US has begun to act as a brake on the spread of the disease in hard-hit states.
Population immunity is slowing down the pandemic in parts of the US | David Rotman | August 11, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThe balance between these processes works as a thermostat, because when the climate warms, chemical reactions become more efficient at removing carbon dioxide, putting a brake on the warming.
How Earth’s Climate Changes Naturally (and Why Things Are Different Now) | Howard Lee | July 21, 2020 | Quanta MagazineThough preliminary and unpublished, the findings suggest that Brd4 inhibitors “can get rid of these immune suppressor cells that are an additional brake on the immune system, and allow immune stimulating drugs to work better,” says Carson.
These cells slow an immune response. Derailing them could help fight tumors | Esther Landhuis | July 10, 2020 | Science NewsDrugs that release brakes on the immune system have helped thousands of people with cancers that were previously untreatable.
These cells slow an immune response. Derailing them could help fight tumors | Esther Landhuis | July 10, 2020 | Science NewsThat wasn’t the only cluster that put the brakes on South Korea’s reopening plans.
COVID-19 case clusters offer lessons and warnings for reopening | Helen Thompson | June 18, 2020 | Science News
Johnson Welded Products Ohio-based manufacturer of reservoirs for air brake systems.
Johnson Welded Products Ohio-based manufacturer of reservoirs for air brake systems.
After Hobby Lobby, These 82 Corporations Could Drop Birth Control Coverage | Abby Haglage | June 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCounterfeit airbags and brake pads have become more of a problem, as have electrical devices that catch on fire.
Even the most sketch-ball, scheming car mechanic knows how much those brake pads cost.
‘Code Black’: An M.D. on How to Fix Our Emergency Room Crisis | Ryan McGarry | June 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen it comes to stops to enforce traffic laws—like speeding, or driving with a broken brake light—being black has no influence.
It's Been Proven: "Driving While Black" is a Real Thing | Jamelle Bouie | January 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey tobogganed down hills without a brake at the imminent peril of their lives.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. LockeIf he is injured while running a car from a defective brake of which he had knowledge, he cannot recover.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesThen he went back, eased off the emergency brake, grabbed a good handhold and strained forward.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerAlmost unconsciously he lifted his foot from the accelerator and pressed down the brake.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph HockingThe brake had set out before the carriage, so that Meta had to come in and wait for her governess.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte Yonge
British Dictionary definitions for brake (1 of 4)
/ (breɪk) /
(often plural) a device for slowing or stopping a vehicle, wheel, shaft, etc, or for keeping it stationary, esp by means of friction: See also drum brake, disc brake, hydraulic brake, air brake, handbrake
(as modifier): the brake pedal
a machine or tool for crushing or breaking flax or hemp to separate the fibres
Also called: brake harrow a heavy harrow for breaking up clods
short for brake van
short for shooting brake
an open four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage: Also spelt: break
an obsolete word for rack 1 (def. 4)
to slow down or cause to slow down, by or as if by using a brake
(tr) to crush or break up using a brake
Origin of brake
1Derived forms of brake
- brakeless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for brake (2 of 4)
/ (breɪk) /
an area of dense undergrowth, shrubs, brushwood, etc; thicket
Origin of brake
2British Dictionary definitions for brake (3 of 4)
/ (breɪk) /
another name for bracken (def. 1) See also rock brake
British Dictionary definitions for brake (4 of 4)
/ (breɪk) /
archaic, mainly biblical a past tense of break
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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