Definition Definition

Brake - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'Brake' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Brake
- imp. of Break.
- of Break
2 . Brake [ n.]
- A fern of the genus Pteris, esp. the P. aquilina, common in almost all countries. It has solitary stems dividing into three principal branches. Less properly: Any fern.
- A thicket; a place overgrown with shrubs and brambles, with undergrowth and ferns, or with canes.
3 . Brake [ v. t.]
- An instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber.
- An extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in working a pump, as in a fire engine.
- A baker's kneading though.
- A sharp bit or snaffle.
- A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc.
- That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which enables it to turn.
- An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and ballista.
- A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a drag.
- A piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction, as of a carriage or railway car, by the pressure of rubbers against the wheels, or of clogs or ratchets against the track or roadway, or of a pivoted lever against a wheel or drum in a machine.
- An apparatus for testing the power of a steam engine, or other motor, by weighing the amount of friction that the motor will overcome; a friction brake.
- A cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses.
- An ancient instrument of torture.

Meaning of 'Brake' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . brake [ n]
Meaning (1):
- anything that slows or hinders a process
Example in sentence:
  • new legislation will put the brakes on spending;
  • she wan not ready to put the brakes on her life with a marriage
2 . brake [ v]
Meaning (2):
- cause to stop by applying the brakes
Example in sentence:
  • brake the car before you go into a curve
Meaning (3):
- stop travelling by applying a brake
Example in sentence:
  • We had to brake suddenly when a chicken crossed the road