brake
6 of 6archaic past tense of break
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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.
Synonyms
Examples of brake in a Sentence
Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 7 May 2024
Pump the brakes: Anya Taylor-Joy, star of famously car-stunt-heavy Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, still does not, in fact, have a driver's license.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 3 May 2024
And with video rolling, Neal slammed on his brakes to keep his Model 3 from crashing into a truck.
—Jim Sergent, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Just as the bus began to veer into oncoming traffic, Holland rushed over, moved the driver's foot off the gas pedal, applied the brake and securely parked the bus.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2024
On Saturday, Lt. Maria Abal with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said there appeared to be an issue with the tram’s brakes.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Lightfoot remained at the scene of the crash and told officers the reason for the crash was a malfunction of his brakes, according to a police affidavit.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024
The font – used to display brake, park and antilock brake system warning size in nearly 2.2 million cars – violates federal safety standards, according to the National Highway Traffic Association.
—Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2024
Last week, as Santa Monica was approving the low-income housing project costing more than $1 million a unit, the U.S. Supreme Court was putting the brakes on California’s impact fees.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 May 2024
Still, there are higher speeds and longer braking distances.
—Tom Krisher, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Apr. 2024
There were also pre-impact tire marks indicating braking.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024
Many of the systems received demerits for not doing enough to make sure drivers stayed attentive and undistracted as the car steered, braked and accelerated on its own.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024
Also new is a feature that holds the engine at redline while braking and downshifting in manual mode, optimally priming the engine to pull the car out of corners.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 9 Mar. 2024
As one of the world’s top-performing road-going sports cars, the Vantage required no engine upgrade, no changes to its cooling system, and no upgrade in braking performance to prepare for its starring role as an FIA F1® safety car (the same car that’s on the road).
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
The Waymo vehicle braked but made contact with the gate, scratching the right side of the vehicle, the company said.
—Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Kentucky State Police spokesperson Capt. Paul Blanton said that when driving in winter weather, drivers should do one action at a time, which includes braking, turning or accelerating.
Live updates: High Wind Warning issued for Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green for Friday
Will school be out?
—Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 12 Jan. 2024
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Brake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brake. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brake
1 of 4 nounbrake
2 of 4 nounbrake
3 of 4 verbbrake
4 of 4 noun
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