hand brake

noun

variants or handbrake
plural hand brakes or handbrakes
: an emergency brake operated by a hand lever
The handbrake can help to prevent accidents when the foot brake fails to stop the vehicle during an emergency.Tech Startups

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Bernaski's Eeyore, whose large mouth is operated by a device that looks similar to a bicycle hand brake, is cuddly to the extreme. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2022 The daughter shut the door and the father released the hand brake. Madhuri Vijay, The Atlantic, 28 Sep. 2022 While strollers usually feature a convenient foot brake to keep your baby from rolling away, many jogging strollers also have a hand brake that's easier to use while running. Jamie Spain, Good Housekeeping, 26 July 2022 The Pilot's other physical controls include an electric starter switch (a pull-start option is there for backup), a hand brake that's perfect for drift duty, and a shift lever with forward, neutral, and reverse gears. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 26 May 2022 As these flood back, developer Double Fine lets the stylistic hand brake off with a psychedelic platforming sequence that culminates in a jubilant musical number. Lewis Gordon, Wired, 16 Dec. 2021 Unstoppable in the first quarter, Florida yanked the hand brake in the second only to see Alabama recover to get just enough to survive the offensive onslaught from the No. 11 Gators. Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, 19 Sep. 2021 The Landie also lacks that other rallying favorite: a hydraulic hand brake. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 19 Aug. 2021 After passengers were evacuated, an attempt to tow the train to a rail yard resulted in it rolling 137 feet before a worker was able to apply a hand brake. Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hand 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

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hand brake was in 1841

Dictionary Entries Near hand brake

Cite this Entry

“Hand brake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%20brake. Accessed 1 Apr. 2023.

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