air brake

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.

Origin of air brake

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for air brake

Callahan was seventeen, with hair like a sunset, and a mind quick as an air-brake.
The Nerve of Foley|Frank H. Spearman
A hundred yards from the struggling mass of frightened cattle, Brockway saw that the air-brake was not holding.
A Romance in Transit|Francis Lynde
He checked—and with a scream from the flanges the special, shaking in the clutches of the air-brake, swung the curve.
Held for Orders|Frank H. Spearman
Ever notice how human an engine sounds when it stops after a long run and the air-brake apparatus begins to pant?
Homeburg Memories|George Helgesen Fitch

His experiments cost thousands of dollars, but they established the practicability of the air-brake.
The Scrap Book. Volume 1, No. 2|Various

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

air brake

noun

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Origin of air brake

Examples from the Web for air brake

air brake

noun