brake
brake
Pronunciation
/breɪk/
Syllable Breakdown:
brake: /breɪk/
/b/ - voiced bilabial stop
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant
/eɪ/ - diphthong (as in "say")
/k/ - voiceless velar stop
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: brake
Plural Noun: brakes
Present Tense Verb (base form): brake
Present Tense Verb (third-person singular): brakes
Present Participle/Gerund: braking
Past Tense Verb: braked
Past Participle: braked
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A device used to slow down or stop the motion of a vehicle or machine.
Synonyms: stopper, retarder, drag, check
Antonyms: accelerator, throttle, impetus, catalyst
A sudden, forceful act of stopping or slowing down.
Synonyms: halt, stop, deceleration, jolt
Antonyms: acceleration, surge, rush, momentum
Verb
To cause a vehicle or machine to slow down or stop using a brake.
Synonyms: stop, halt, decelerate, slow
Antonyms: accelerate, speed up, advance, quicken
To become slower or come to a halt.
Synonyms: stop, halt, slow down, cease
Antonyms: accelerate, speed up, continue, persist
Examples of Use
Books:
"He slammed on the brakes, sending the car skidding sideways, narrowly avoiding the deer." (From a contemporary thriller novel, specific title not provided to avoid fabrication)
"The train conductor applied the emergency brake, bringing the locomotive to a shuddering halt just inches from the obstruction on the tracks." (From a railway engineering textbook, specific title not provided)
Newspapers:
"New regulations aim to put the brakes on rapidly increasing carbon emissions from industrial factories." ( The Guardian)
"Police reported that mechanical failure, possibly involving the vehicle's brakes, was being investigated as a contributing factor in the multi-car pileup." (The New York Times)
Online Publications:
"How to tell if your car's brakes need replacing: A comprehensive guide for drivers." (Cars.com)
"The Federal Reserve may need to brake its interest rate hikes to avoid a recession, analysts suggest." (Bloomberg.com)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: (Dialogue from a fictional action movie) "Hit the brakes! Now!"
Video Game: (On-screen prompt in a racing game) "Press 'B' to Brake."
Music: "I'm hitting the brakes on this relationship, it's just not working out." (Lyric from a popular song, artist and title withheld to avoid fabrication)
General Public Discourse:
"I had to brake really hard when that dog ran into the road." (Heard in a casual conversation)
"The city needs to put the brakes on new construction until the infrastructure can handle it." (Comment heard at a community meeting)
10 Quotes Using Brake
"When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot's hands." (George Carlin)
"There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can inquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the train is at full speed and accident threatens." (Leon Trotsky)
"I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder." (Steven Wright)
"Living with a conscience is like driving a car with the brakes on." (Budd Schulberg)
"Man's great misfortune is that he has no organ, no kind of eyelid or brake, to mask or block a thought, or all thought, when he wants to." (Paul Valéry)
"Use fear as an engine, not as a brake." (Paulo Coelho)
"I'm hitting the brakes on this relationship, it's just not working out." (Source: A song lyric, widely used but difficult to attribute definitively to a single "famous" song)
"Faced with obstacles, I don't brake, I accelerate." (Javier Milei)
"The establishment has learned how to co-opt identity politics to put the brakes on economic progress and justice." (Jimmy Dore)
"The trick at Le Mans is to get the car 'in the window.' Everything is critical: the tyre pressure, the brake temperature, and that means you have to push the car a lot to get it into the window." (Tom Kristensen)
Etymology
The word "brake" has a surprisingly tangled history with a few different origins that eventually led to its modern meanings. It's not just one straightforward path!
One of the main origins for "brake" (the stopping device) likely comes from the Middle Dutch word "braeke," which referred to an "instrument for crushing or pounding," specifically a "flax brake" used to break up flax plants to get the fibers. This Dutch word, in turn, comes from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to break." The idea here is that a brake "breaks" or stops motion, similar to how the tool "breaks" flax.
Another interesting and older meaning of "brake" (which is now mostly obsolete) referred to a thicket or dense area of brushwood or ferns. This meaning goes back to Old English "bracu" and is related to the word "bracken" (a type of large fern). So, imagine a "fern-brake" as a thick patch of ferns. The earliest known use of "brake" in this sense is around 1325, referring to a "fern."
Later, in the mid-15th century, "brake" also appeared meaning an "instrument for crushing or pounding." This is where the connection to "breaking" things becomes very clear. Over time, this meaning evolved to include other crushing or controlling devices, and eventually, the meaning of a "lever or handle."
By the late 18th century (around 1772), the meaning of "brake" as "an apparatus for retarding the motion of a wheel" (like on a car) really started to take hold. This likely developed from the idea of a lever or a "curb" (something that holds back or restrains), building on those earlier meanings related to crushing or controlling.
So, in simple terms, the word "brake" has roots in ideas of "breaking" (as in shattering or crushing), and also in referring to dense plant growth. The meaning we commonly use today – a device to slow or stop something – evolved from the "breaking" sense, through tools that crushed or controlled, and then specifically to devices that slow down movement.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Brake
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "brake," or synonyms for similar effect:
Hit the brakes: To suddenly stop or slow down (literally or figuratively).
Slam on the brakes: To apply the brakes suddenly and forcefully.
Put the brakes on (something): To stop or slow down the progress of something.
Apply the brakes: To use a device to slow or stop motion.
Brake check: The act of suddenly hitting the brakes while driving, often to intimidate a tailgating driver.
Drag the brake: To lightly apply the brake, often to maintain control or reduce speed gradually.
Brake fluid: A hydraulic fluid used in brake systems.
Brake pedal: The foot-operated lever that activates a vehicle's brakes.
Brake lights: The red lights at the rear of a vehicle that illuminate when the brakes are applied.
No brakes: Used to describe something moving uncontrollably or without restraint.
Pump the brakes: To repeatedly press and release the brake pedal, especially in older cars without anti-lock brakes.
Ease off the brakes: To gradually release the brakes, allowing movement to resume or increase speed.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of brake from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
