brake

1 of 6

noun (1)

1
: a device for arresting or preventing the motion of a mechanism usually by means of friction
apply the brakes
took his foot off the brake
2
: something used to slow down or stop movement or activity
use interest rates as a brake on spending
brakeless adjective

brake

2 of 6

verb

braked; braking

intransitive verb

1
: to operate or manage a brake
especially : to apply the brake on a vehicle
brake around the curves
2
: to become checked by a brake
The train braked to a stop.

transitive verb

: to slow or stop by or as if by a brake (see brake entry 1)
braking a tractor

brake

3 of 6

noun (2)

botany : the common bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)

brake

4 of 6

noun (3)

1
: a toothed instrument or machine for separating out the fiber of flax or hemp by breaking up the woody parts
2
: a machine for bending, flanging, folding, and forming sheet metal

brake

5 of 6

noun (4)

geography : rough or marshy land overgrown usually with one kind of plant
cedar brakes
coastal brakes
braky adjective

brake

6 of 6

archaic past tense of break

Did you know?

Break and Brake: Remembering Which Is Which

It can be hard to apply these words correctly: they sound exactly the same, and their spellings aren't easily connected to their meanings. One of the pair, however, is quite limited in scope, and focusing on when to apply that one can be key.

When the subject is slowing or stopping movement, the word to use is brake. Brake is both a noun, as in "put on the brakes" and "took my foot off the brake," and a verb, as in "brake at the stop sign" and "I brake for moose." As a noun, it's also used before other nouns: "brake fluid," "brake pedal." As in these examples, the word is used in contexts relating to cars, bicycles, and other vehicles. It's also used figuratively, however, to talk about the slowing or stopping of activity, as in "putting the brakes on spending."

Break also functions as both a noun and a verb, and it's the word you want in all other contexts, such as when the topic is something separating into parts or pieces ("the plate will break if it falls," "break a leg," "a bad break"), being damaged to the point of no longer working ("break a watch"), failing to do what is promised ("break a promise"), or referring to a time during which activity stops ("take a break").

If you have difficulty keeping these straight and are inclined to think in pictures, you might want to imagine a foot nestled in the top of the k in brake, pressing that top line down onto the e, which isn't saying a thing, because the k has put the brakes on.

Examples of brake in a Sentence

Verb I had to brake suddenly when a cat ran in front of the car. braked the car sharply when someone pulled out in front of us
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Counterbalancing the arsenal of go-fast tech, the optional monobloc calipers and carbon-ceramic brakes scrub 124 mph to zero in 371 feet, which is 16 feet less than required by the 720S. There’s a bit more theatricality on tap this time around as well. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2024 Instead, Grande’s tidy vocal staccato is the musical mechanism most worth paying attention to — a beautifully breathy phrasing tactic that evokes the tapping of brakes. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 The randomness of where the ball might end up forced the players to slam on the brakes or speed up at a high rate. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 Subway Cars Makeover: Every single wheel, motor, brake, axle, wire and door on every New York City subway car gets completely refurbished every six to 12 years. Ana Ley, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 In the car there is a man next to me with his own rearview mirror and his own brake. Devin Kelly, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2024 Basic driver components returned to the design, and AI navigation plans downgraded from fully autonomous to current technology such as acceleration assist, brake controls, and adaptive steering. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 28 Feb. 2024 Dealers will replace the integrated brake system, free of charge. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024 But a growing demand for the gelatin has decimated donkey populations at such alarming rates in African countries that governments are now moving to put a brake on the mostly unregulated trade. Siyi Zhao, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
If drivers didn’t respond, some cars would continue for another 30 seconds before braking. Jeremy White, WIRED, 13 Dec. 2023 Adjust your driving for conditions by slowing down and providing more space for braking. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 That testimony appeared designed to undermine prosecution experts who have testified the Mercedes 43 GLE AMG was going 81 mph before Grossman braked slightly before impact. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 Along with this, the steering, front-end grip, and braking all get uprated. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2024 Kentucky State Police spokesperson Capt. Paul Blanton said that when driving in winter weather, drivers should do one action at a time, which includes braking, turning or accelerating. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 12 Jan. 2024 Dave was driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone on the way to an overdose call and started braking less than a second before hitting Kandula, according to a report by a detective from the department's traffic collision investigation team. CBS News, 25 Jan. 2024 What’s more, says Borie, is that the inter-module communications system has a safety mode that brakes the whole train when any of the modules is disconnected from it. IEEE Spectrum, 22 Dec. 2023 In the other case, another vehicle cut in front of the Waymo, and the AV braked hard but couldn’t avoid a collision. Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb

perhaps from obsolete brake bridle

Noun (2)

Middle English, fern, probably back-formation from braken bracken

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Middle Low German; akin to Old English brecan to break

Noun (4)

Middle English -brake

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1868, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (4)

1562, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brake was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near brake

Cite this Entry

“Brake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brake. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

brake

1 of 4 noun
: a common bracken fern

brake

2 of 4 noun
: a device for slowing or stopping motion (as of a wheel, vehicle, or engine) especially by friction

brake

3 of 4 verb
braked; braking
1
: to slow or stop by or as if by a brake
2
: to use or operate the brake on a vehicle

brake

4 of 4 noun
: rough or marshy overgrown land : thicket

More from Merriam-Webster on brake

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