brake light

American

[breyk lahyt] / ˈbreɪk ˌlaɪt /

noun

a taillight that lights up as the driver of a vehicle steps on the brake pedal to slow down or stop.

brake light British

noun

Also called: stoplight. a red light attached to the rear of a motor vehicle that lights up when the brakes are applied, serving as a warning to following drivers

"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

Etymology

Origin of brake light

First recorded in 1850–55 (for railroad trains)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Humberside Police said officers had noticed a vehicle with a defective rear brake light at about 20:25 GMT.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

Because eventually, those brake light wires are going to mean that the lights are not working and the car may be pulled over.

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2023

In 2015, a white police officer in Columbia, South Carolina, pulled over Walter Scott, a 50-year-old Black man, for a broken brake light.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 16, 2022

Pulled over on the pretext of a broken brake light, Mr. Castile disclosed that he was carrying a handgun and then reached for his ID.

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2022

A brake light had burned out on her Volkswagen, and she had been too busy to replace it.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023