air brake

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noun

a brake or system of brakes operated by compressed air.

Aeronautics. a device for reducing the air speed of an aircraft by increasing its drag.

a device for stopping the sails of a windmill by disrupting the flow of air around them.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of air brake

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Words nearby air brake

airboat, airborne, airborne alert, airborne command post, air-bound, air brake, airbrasive, air-breathe, air-breather, air brick, air bridge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use air brake in a sentence

At APM Terminals, the largest container site in the Western Hemisphere, the air echoes with truck horns, air brakes and the warning beeps of mobile cranes.
Inside America’s Broken Supply Chain|David J. Lynch|September 30, 2021|Washington Post
After the plant closure announcement, the air brake tester found a job making dashboards and bumpers for Toyota.
This Company Got a $10 Million PPP Loan, Then Closed Its Plant and Moved Manufacturing Jobs to Mexico|by Lydia DePillis|June 30, 2021|ProPublica
Soon, she moved up to air brake tester, sliding underneath the massive steel vehicles to fix pipes.
This Company Got a $10 Million PPP Loan, Then Closed Its Plant and Moved Manufacturing Jobs to Mexico|by Lydia DePillis|June 30, 2021|ProPublica
Johnson Welded Products Ohio-based manufacturer of reservoirs for air brake systems.
The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys|Abby Haglage|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
George Westinghouse, Jr., about thirty years ago, took out a patent for the air brake.
American Inventions and Inventors|William A. Mowry
Never rely on the air brake to hold the train for any length of time.
The Traveling Engineers' Association|Anonymous
The control valve takes no part in the application or release of the straight air brake.
The Traveling Engineers' Association|Anonymous
However, Westinghouse was not discouraged, but continued to experiment, and the air-brake as we have it to-day was the result.
American Men of Mind|Burton E. Stevenson
Up to that time the air-brake had never been used upon the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburgh.
The Story of the Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg RailRoad|Edward Hungerford

British Dictionary definitions for air brake

air brake

noun

a brake operated by compressed air, esp in heavy vehicles and trains

Also called: dive brake an articulated flap or small parachute for reducing the speed of an aircraft

a rotary fan or propeller connected to a shaft to reduce its speed

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