[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/brakes/)

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# brakes

noun (plural of brake: a brake, brakes); verb form (brakes, he/she/it form of brake: brake, brakes, braked, braking)

«brakes» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Brakes are the parts of a bike, car, train or other vehicle that slow it down or stop it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#m1)
2. He or she brakes means he or she uses the brakes to slow down or stop. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#m2)

### In the lessons

In road safety lessons: check your bike's brakes before riding; squeeze both brakes gently and evenly; brakes work less well when wet, so leave more space. Cars need distance to stop, so never step into the road thinking a car can stop at once. In science, brakes work by friction, which turns movement energy into heat. Phrases: «put on the brakes», «slam on the brakes», «the brakes failed», «hand brake», «emergency brake».

### Examples

- Check your brakes before you ride your bike. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x1)
- The bus driver slammed on the brakes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x2)
- Wet brakes take longer to stop the bike. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x3)
- The car brakes squealed at the crossing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x4)
- My bike has two brakes on the handlebars. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x5)
- Brakes use friction to slow the wheels down. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x6)
- She brakes gently when going downhill. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x7)
- The train's brakes hissed as it stopped. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x8)
- He held on savagely, and stuck out his feet to act as brakes on the dark slope of the hot, moist earth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/#x9)

### Note

Homophone: «breaks» (from «break», to smash or a rest) sounds exactly the same; «brake» is only about slowing down. Past: «braked». Stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance, and it grows a lot with speed.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «brakes» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/brakes/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«brakes» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/brakes.html) on Mova free.