hand brake

See synonyms for hand brake on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a brake operated by a hand lever.: Compare caliper (def. 6).

  2. (in an automobile) an emergency or parking brake operated by a hand lever.

Origin of hand brake

1
First recorded in 1840–50

Words Nearby hand brake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hand brake in a sentence

  • The carriage was an open one with two double seats, and in front a single one for a messenger; it had also a hand-brake attached.

    The Memoirs of General P. H. Sheridan, Complete | General Philip Henry Sheridan
  • He gave a savage twitch to the hand-brake, let in his clutch, and in a moment or two the car ran forward.

    Married Life | May Edginton
  • I climb upon the upright ironwork of the platform and stand upon the wheel of the hand-brake.

    The Road | Jack London
  • As a matter of fact, when we began the descent I found that the hand-brake wouldn't act, and knew the chains had gone wrong.

    My Friend the Chauffeur | C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
  • Then, with power thrown off and the hand-brake set, it rolled out on the bridge.

    The Rover Boys in Business | Arthur M. Winfield

British Dictionary definitions for handbrake

handbrake

/ (ˈhændˌbreɪk) /


noun
  1. a brake operated by a hand lever

  2. the lever that operates the handbrake

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