brake

1 of 6

noun (1)

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 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 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.

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
The steering is sure but not overly sharp, the acceleration is solid but not hasty, the brakes stop you in a split second. Josh Max, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 Aggressive outsole brakes also make for safer trekking across slick or uneven landscapes. Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 18 Oct. 2024
Verb
In place of a discrete escapement controlled by an oscillating balance wheel, there is a rotating glide wheel that is electrically braked by magnets controlled using a quartz oscillator. David Flett, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2024 Both attributed the drop in annual targets to struggles in China, while BMW also reported that issues with braking supplier Continental were also impacting its output. Owen Bellwood / Jalopnik, Quartz, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brake 

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of brake was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near brake

Cite this Entry

“Brake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brake. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

brake

1 of 4 noun
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on brake

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