brake

brake — noun

1. the equipment in a car, bike, or similar vehicle that slows the wheels or brings

1.nounB1
Definition

the equipment in a car, bike, or similar vehicle that slows the wheels or brings the vehicle to a stop; the same word is also used for the pedal, lever, or handle that works it.

Example

Bao pressed the brake at the red light outside the station.

press the brake

The bike rolled downhill until Hana squeezed the back brake.

back brake on a bicycle

Common collocations
  • press the brake
  • back brake
  • new brakes
  • brake pedal
Synonyms
  • braking system

    broader and more technical, covering all the related parts

  • brake pedal

    only the foot control, not the whole device

  • handbrake

    a specific brake used by hand, usually for parking

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

press the brake

slam on the brakes

take your foot off the brake

Usage Note

Often plural when you mean the whole stopping system of a car, but singular when you mean the pedal or one brake on a bike.

Common Mistakes

Press the break at the corner.
Press the brake at the corner.
'brake' is the spelling for slowing a vehicle; 'break' is a different word.

2. the high, unpleasant sound made when a vehicle stops very suddenly.

2.nounB2
Definition

the high, unpleasant sound made when a vehicle stops very suddenly.

Example

We heard the brakes outside, then a crash near the shop.

the brakes = braking noise

A sharp screech of brakes from the bus made the children jump.

Common collocations
  • the brakes outside
  • squeal of brakes
  • sound of brakes
  • brake noise
Synonyms
  • screech

    focuses on a very sharp, high sound and is not limited to vehicles

  • squeal

    similar in sound, often slightly shorter or thinner

  • shriek

    more dramatic and often used for people as well as sounds

Grammar Patterns

the sound of brakes

a squeal of brakes

the brakes outside

Usage Note

Usually appears with words like sound, screech, or squeal. In real use, speakers often say the brakes when they mean the noise made by them.

Common Mistakes

I heard a brake outside.
I heard the squeal of brakes outside.
this sense is usually expressed in a sound phrase, not as a simple countable noun.

3. something that holds back progress or makes an activity harder to continue.

3.nounC1
Definition

something that holds back progress or makes an activity harder to continue.

Example

High rent is a brake on new shops in this area.

a brake on + activity

Poor internet access put a brake on online classes.

put a brake on + noun

Common collocations
  • a brake on growth
  • put a brake on
  • act as a brake on
  • a brake on spending
Synonyms
  • obstacle

    broader word for anything in the way, not only something that slows progress

  • check

    more formal and often used for limiting growth or power

  • curb

    often suggests a deliberate attempt to limit something

Antonyms
  • boost

    something that helps an activity move faster or grow

Grammar Patterns

a brake on [activity]

put a brake on [plan]

act as a brake on [growth]

Usage Note

Normally followed by 'on' before the activity being slowed. This sense is common in news and formal discussion about growth, spending, plans, or change.

Common Mistakes

The new rule was a brake for small shops.
The new rule was a brake on small shops.
use 'a brake on' for the thing being slowed.
Idioms

jam on the brake(s) | jam the brake(s) on

idiom

To press the brake pedal of a vehicle very hard and quickly.

Maya jammed on the brakes when a dog ran into the street.

Did you jam the brakes on when you saw the red light?

brake — verb

Word family

  • braking
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Brake' is used when a driver or vehicle becomes slower because the brake system is used. 'Slow down' is the broad everyday phrase and can describe any reduction in speed, even when no brake is involved. 'Stop' focuses on the end result, not on how the vehicle was slowed. 'Decelerate' is more formal and is common in technical writing, science, or driving instruction. 'Pull up' often means bringing a vehicle to a stop at a particular place, especially beside a building or curb. So you can say 'Theo braked hard when the dog ran out,' but 'Theo decelerated' sounds much more formal, and 'Theo pulled up' suggests he stopped somewhere specific.

brake ↗slow down ↗stop ↗deceleratepull up ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • brake pedal
  • brake lights
  • brake fluid
  • brake noise

Adverbs

Phrases

  • slam on the brakes
  • take your foot off the brake
  • put a brake on
  • brake to a halt

Etymology

Middle Low GermanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The modern vehicle sense of brake appeared in English in the late eighteenth century. It is probably linked to an older word brake for a tool that pressed, crushed, or checked movement, and that older word belongs to the same wider Germanic family as break. The verb developed from the noun later, after the stopping device itself was already established.