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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Origin of air brake

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Words nearby air brake

air-bone gap, 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. 2022

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
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
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
And Air Force assessors are the first to say such imaging never tells the whole story.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Sprawled on chaise lounges with their knees high in the air and their legs spread wide.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, Lion Air, with 45 percent of the domestic Indonesian airline market, has swallowed the Fernandes formula whole.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There is a larger reason, beyond the airlines themselves, why Lion Air and 61 other Indonesian airlines are on this black list.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Pentagon said Faal served in the Air Force for seven years, during which time he became a U.S. citizen.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Bells were pealing and tolling in all directions, and the air was filled with the sound of distant shouts and cries.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
It is to be remembered, however, that a few of these bacteria may reach the sputum from the upper air-passages.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
We had now approached closely to the foot of the mountain-ranges, and their lofty summits were high above us in mid-air.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
He stood, with the air of a hero, both arms extended towards the amazed pair of lovers.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Their method of curing the leaves was to air-dry them and then packing them until wanted for use.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

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