emergency brake
Americannoun
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Also called parking brake. a special brake used to prevent a motor vehicle from rolling after it has stopped or been parked.
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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.
In a moment of panic during that time, her van slid down an icy hill, forcing her to use the emergency brake.
From Seattle Times
The wheel bearing failed during that deceleration, she said, and Car 23 derailed, triggering the emergency brake.
From Washington Post
Why did its automatic emergency brake systems not work?
From Los Angeles Times
EU member states will also be able to hit an “emergency brake” to bar travellers from a region showing a spike in more infectious variants of the disease.
From Reuters
If the virus and government-issued restrictions pulled the emergency brake on Washington’s economic and social life, it will take more than just releasing that lever to get the engine back to full throttle.
From Seattle Times
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.
