Using the brakes in a vehicleIf you want to slow down a vehicle, or stop, you put on the brakes or apply the brakes.If you want to slow down a little, you can tap the brakes, squeeze the brakes, or touch the brakes.If someone is traveling fast and they suddenly put on the brakes, you can say thatthey slam on the brakes or hit the brakes.If someone presses and releases the brakes repeatedly, you can say that they pump the brakes.
brake in Automotive Engineering2
(breɪk)
Word forms: (present) brakes, (past) braked, (perfect) braked, (progressive) braking
verb (transitive) (intransitive)
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Brakes, steering, wheels, tires, and suspension)
When a vehicle or its driver brakes, or when a driver brakes a vehicle, the driver makes it slow down or stop by using the brakes.
He heard tires squeal as the car braked to avoid a collision.
She was forced to brake sharply as the other car cut in front of her.
He braked to a halt and switched off the ignition.
Examples of 'brake' in a sentence
brake
How could he put the brakes on now?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The car did not apply its brakes.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
On obesity and prison reform she seems minded to apply the brakes when overdue progress was at last being made.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They should leave the rescue services to get on with their job and not apply the brakes to have a stare.
The Sun (2016)
Safety issues put a brake on self-drive cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A situation that puts brakes on your love life is resolved.
The Sun (2017)
Without warning and for no apparent reason, my car applied the brakes and nearly came to a halt.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Speed cameras pose a safety risk because motorists are slamming on their brakes to avoid being clocked, researchers have claimed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Then we'd have to make sure the brakes would work, stopping before the end of the runway.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The growing gap between average incomes and the capital's property prices is also putting the brakes on growth in London.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The biggest problem was how to judge whether a car was braking.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Thus you can save fuel by avoiding hard braking.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Think of it as the brakes going on.
The Sun (2016)
Your brakes are the most important part of your bike and you need to maintain them.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Police say both men got out of their cars after the attacker was forced to brake sharply.
The Sun (2015)
This involves holding the front brake while at the same time delivering power to the rear wheels.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He is also seeking to apply the brakes to public spending.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The smog formed an impenetrable blanket that forced drivers to brake.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Why do the brakes appear to make the car go faster?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But it switches off when cruising and is recharged when the car slows or brakes.
The Sun (2007)
Sometimes you have to brake to avoid running them down.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Alcohol puts the brakes on fat burning.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The acceleration and braking of the vehicle will be matched to the traffic around it to improve flows.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We lost a marshal at Monza when there were guys moving around in the braking areas.
The Sun (2008)
If enough countries want a brake on numbers, they should be allowed to have one.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Uncertainty is the enemy of investment - and political interference is the brake on progress.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The 407 suffers from squealing brakes and two trips to the garage have failed to cure them.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The vehicle brakes sharply; husband and wife are jolted against each other.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He was quickly out of the garage yesterday morning in the final free practice, mapping the right braking areas and the fastest lines.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
brake
British English: brake /breɪk/ NOUN
A vehicle's brakes are devices that make it go slower or stop.
American English: brake
Arabic: فَرامِل
Brazilian Portuguese: freio
Chinese: 刹车
Croatian: kočnica
Czech: brzda
Danish: bremse
Dutch: rem
European Spanish: freno
Finnish: jarru
French: frein voiture
German: Bremse
Greek: φρένο
Italian: freno
Japanese: ブレーキ
Korean: 브레이크
Norwegian: brems
Polish: hamulec
European Portuguese: travão
Romanian: frână
Russian: тормоз
Latin American Spanish: freno
Swedish: broms
Thai: เบรคหรือเครื่องห้ามล้อ
Turkish: fren
Ukrainian: гальмо
Vietnamese: phanh
British English: brake /breɪk/ VERB
When a vehicle or its driver brakes, or when a driver brakes a vehicle, the driver makes it slow down or stop by using the brakes.
She braked sharply to avoid another car.
American English: brake
Arabic: يُفِرْمِل
Brazilian Portuguese: frear
Chinese: 制动
Croatian: kočiti
Czech: brzdit
Danish: bremse
Dutch: remmen
European Spanish: frenar
Finnish: jarruttaa
French: freiner
German: bremsen
Greek: φρενάρω
Italian: frenare
Japanese: ブレーキをかける
Korean: 브레이크를 걸다
Norwegian: bremse
Polish: wyhamować
European Portuguese: travar
Romanian: a frâna
Russian: тормозить
Latin American Spanish: frenar
Swedish: bromsa
Thai: ห้ามล้อ
Turkish: fren yapmak
Ukrainian: гальмувати
Vietnamese: hãm phanh
Chinese translation of 'brake'
brake
(breɪk)
n(c)
(Aut) 刹车(車) (shāchē) (个(個), gè)
(fig) 阻碍(礙) (zǔ'ài)
vi
[driver, vehicle]刹车(車) (shāchē)
vt
[vehicle]刹 (shā)
(noun)
Definition
something that slows down or stops progress
Illness had put a brake on his progress.
Synonyms
control
There are to be tighter controls on land speculation.
check
There is a check on the number of people allowed in the venue.
curb
He called for much stricter curbs on spending.
restraint
A Bill of Rights would act as a restraint on judicial power.
constraint
Their decision to abandon the trip was made because of financial constraints.
rein
He wrapped his horse's reins round his left wrist.
damper
He put a damper on our hopes.
(verb)
Definition
to slow down or cause to slow down, by or as if by using a brake
She braked to a halt and switched off.
Synonyms
slow
The car slowed down as they passed customs.
decelerate
The driver kept accelerating and decelerating.
reduce speed
Additional synonyms
in the sense of check
Definition
a means to ensure against fraud or error
There is a check on the number of people allowed in the venue.
Synonyms
control,
limitation,
restraint,
constraint,
rein,
obstacle,
curb,
obstruction,
stoppage,
inhibition,
impediment,
hindrance,
damper
in the sense of constraint
Definition
something that limits a person's freedom of action
Their decision to abandon the trip was made because of financial constraints.