Synonyms

emergency brake

American

noun

Also called parking brake. a special brake used to prevent a motor vehicle from rolling after it has stopped or been parked.
any brake meant to stop a vehicle in an emergency.

Etymology

Origin of emergency brake

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

Identifying these risks is a net gain to the world, not a disaster, not a reason to pull the emergency brake on AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

After seeing Jaiden start to cross the railway, the driver sounded the horn and applied the emergency brake.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

They witnessed history when their leader fulfilled a dream to play with his son, they reshaped their culture with one trade and pulled the emergency brake to get out of another.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2025

“Hit the emergency brake now,” reservists from the 8200 intelligence unit warned the government in a letter last week.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 6, 2023

Quickly, Leeman pulled the emergency brake, halting the train.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

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