hand brake

noun

variants or handbrake

ˈhan(d)-ˌbrāk 

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 | [e-mail], 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

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Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above