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coaster brake

American  

noun

  1. a brake on the hub of the rear wheel of freewheel bicycles, operated by back pressure on the pedals.

Etymology

Origin of coaster brake

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

The model I tested had a "coaster brake", which kicks in when you pedal backwards, instead of a conventional back brake.

From The Guardian

Most bikes we were used to in Britain were equipped with two hand brakes but this one had a coaster brake, trying to pedal backwards would apply the brake to the back wheel.

From Project Gutenberg

Cost me twenty-one dollars, and it's got puncture-proof tires and a real coaster brake.

From Project Gutenberg

Lying on the ground attached to the bike I tried to disentangle myself but with the coaster brake I couldn�t reverse the direction.��

From Project Gutenberg

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.