Definition of 'brake'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense brakes
, present participle braking
, past tense, past participle braked
1. countable noun
2. 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.
[Also VERB noun + to] 3. countable noun
You can use brake in a number of
expressions to indicate that something has slowed down or stopped.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
brake
Word Frequency
brake in British English 1
noun
1.
a. (often plural)
a device for
slowing or
stopping a vehicle,
wheel,
shaft, etc, or for keeping it
stationary, esp by means of
friction
See also
drum brake,
disc brake,
hydraulic brake,
air brake,
handbrakeb.
(as modifier)
the brake pedal
4. short for
brake van
5. short for
shooting brake
7. an obsolete word for
rack1 (sense 4)
verb
8.
to slow down or cause to slow down, by or as if by using a brake
9. (transitive)
to crush or break up using a brake
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
brakeless (ˈbrakeless) adjective
Word origin
C18: from Middle Dutch braeke; related to breken to breakWord Frequency
brake in British English 2
noun
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
Old English bracu; related to Middle Low German brake, Old French bracon branch
Word Frequency
brake in British English 3
noun
another name for
bracken (sense 1), See also
rock brake
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
brake in British English 4
verb
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
brake in American English 1
noun
2.
a heavy harrow for breaking up clods of earth
verb transitiveWord forms: braked or ˈbraking
7.
to break up (flax, clods of earth, etc.) into smaller pieces
8.
to slow down or stop with or as with a brake
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
brakeless (ˈbrakeless)
adjective
Word origin
ME < MLowG brake or ODu braeke, flax brake < breken, to break; senses 2-6 variously infl. by OFr brac (form of bras, an arm) &
breakWord Frequency
brake in American English 2
noun
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME; prob. taken as sing. of
brackenWord Frequency
brake in American English 3
noun
a
clump or area of brushwood, briers, etc.; thicket
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
brake in American English 4
verb transitive, verb intransitive
archaic pt. of
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
brake in Automotive Engineering 1
(breɪk)
Word forms: (regular plural) brakes
noun
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 that
they slam on the brakes or hit the brakes.If someone presses and releases the brakes repeatedly, you can say that they pump the brakes.(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Brakes, steering, wheels, tires, and suspension)
disk brake,
drum brake,
hydraulic brake,
inboard brakes,
transmission brake,
vacuum brake,
brake drum,
brake fluid,
brake lining,
brake mean effective pressure,
brake pad,
brake pedal,
brake servo,
brake shoe Brakes are devices in a vehicle that make it go slower or stop.
Parts of the brake that may need replacement include linings and calipers.
The car tends to skid from the rear if the brakes are applied hard.
The brakes failed and her car accelerated out of control.
COBUILD Key Words for Automotive Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
brake in Automotive Engineering 2
(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.
COBUILD Key Words for Automotive Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'brake' in a sentence
brake
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
Read more…
Trends of
brake
View usage for:
In other languages
brake
- 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
Nearby words of
brake
Source
Definition of brake from the
Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
attend court or reach court?
Which version is correct?
consume energy or muster the energy?
Which version is correct?
environmental damage or nerve damage?
Which version is correct?
deny treatment or improve treatments?
Which version is correct?
annual loss or sad loss?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
sad loss
annual loss
He is a very to journalism and the book world.
Your score:
Word of the day
white hat
a computer hacker who is hired by an organization to undertake nonmalicious hacking work in order to discover computer-security flaws
'Hepatomegaly' and 'hydronephrosis' are among the most frequently looked-up words in September
You can get a certain insight into human nature from analysing the words that people look up in dictionaries. There are some words that seem to be of perennial interest, so if you compare the list of words that were looked up most often in March with the words that were looked up most often in September, you will find a lot of words appearing on both lists.
Read more
World Space Week
Today, 9 October, is the penultimate day of this year’s World Space Week, a UN event launched in 1999. Space Week falls at this calendar juncture because this first October week is bookended by two key dates.
Read more
From moonshoot to balconing: discover the latest words added to the Collins Dictionary
The online version of the Collins Dictionary has just been updated again, with another batch of new words and meanings inspired by the events of the summer.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
tail or tale?
Which version is correct?
farther or father?
Which version is correct?
ring or wring?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
ring
wring
You can me anytime.
ridden or rode?
Which version is correct?
dear or deer?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
dear
deer
Mrs Cavendish is a friend of mine.
Your score: