brake

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈbrāk 

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

ˈbrā-kləs 

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

ˈbrā-kē 

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.

Synonyms

Verb

• slow

Noun (4)

• grove
• coppice
• forest
• boskage
• chaparral
• thicket
• wood
• brushwood
• copse
• bush
• tangle
• bosque
• brush

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

Noun (4)

built a small shelter in the brake to watch for deer

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This would deliver a damaging blow to an already fragile Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which has for decades served as a crucial brake on the spread of nuclear weapons. —Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025

Stress testing the powertrain, brakes, and thermal systems on a dynamometer at up to 75 mph (120 km/h). —New Atlas, 20 June 2025

Verb

The photos of the prototype show shocks at each wheel for a smooth ride, a headlight and LED strip light to the front while the renders add turn signaling and a braking tail-light to the safety equation. —Paul Ridden june 22, New Atlas, 22 June 2025

Regarding pilot training, the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) established minimum training standards specifically for braking system failures. —Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 23 Apr. 2025

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

Phrases Containing brake

• air brake
• brake pad
• brake/valve job
• coaster brake
• disc brake
• drum brake
• e-brake
• emergency brake
• hand brake
• parking brake
• rock brake

Rhymes for brake

• ache
• ake
• bake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake
• lake

Kids Definition

brake

1 of 4 noun

ˈbrāk 

: 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