How to Use brake in a Sentence

brake

1 of 2 noun
  • Turn off the lights and keep your foot off the brake.
    — Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The brake calipers are blue, and so are the seat belts.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Both front and rear brakes have great feel on the levers, too.
    — New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2025
  • What to do with the brakes and with the flaps and with the guns.
    — James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2024
  • No cable-pull brakes for this ride.
    — New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Don’t apply the brakes to slow down.
    — John Paul, The Providence Journal, 20 Feb. 2026
  • What are the best brake rotors to buy?
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
  • But tap the brakes on any savior talk.
    — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026
  • Slam/press hard and hold the brake pedal.
    — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Dotson tapped the brakes on that view.
    — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025
  • There’s no chance of hitting the brakes.
    — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026
  • There are no brakes on this runaway train.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Slow down, but avoid slamming your brakes.
    — Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register, 16 Jan. 2026
  • Waymo just can’t seem to catch a … brake.
    — Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026
  • And all of a sudden, the lenders put the brakes on.
    — Alina Selyukh, NPR, 12 June 2026
  • Know if your car is equipped with anti-lock brakes.
    — Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Pressing your brakes while on black ice will cause your car to skid.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Turn the lights all the way off and keep foot off the brake pedal.
    — Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • These are the battery light, red brake lamp, and car door open light.
    — Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
  • Pump the brakes, for Pete’s sake!
    — Kristen Baldwin September 2, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Roll down the windows and listen to the brakes.
    — Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • If caught in one, pull off the road, turn off your lights and keep your foot off the brake.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • My right foot pressed into the brake lever was useless.
    — Literary Hub, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Don't stomp on the brake — that will lock the wheels and allow the car to skid.
    — Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Don't stomp on the brake — that will lock the wheels and allow the car to skid.
    — Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Martinez's brake lights appeared to be on when he is shot.
    — Armando Garcia, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026
  • The driver never seemed to hit the brakes.
    — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 18 Feb. 2026
  • Firefighters found a train car whose brakes were on fire.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 9 May 2026
  • Fresh brake fluid is almost clear and over time can turn dark brown.
    — Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026

brake

2 of 2 verb
  • I had to brake suddenly when a cat ran in front of the car.
  • The front half of the lap has braking zones.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • One of us had to brake quickly and let the other pass.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 June 2026
  • One of us had to brake quickly and let the other pass.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 9 May 2026
  • My hands were never more than an inch from the wheel and my foot was ready to brake.
    — Jim Rossman, Dallas News, 11 Feb. 2021
  • The driver tried to brake, but the person was struck.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Never brake while driving on black ice.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Slow down and do not brake suddenly.
    — Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Both require a driver at the wheel ready to steer or brake at any time.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025
  • She’s also been known to brake for a too-good-to-pass-by roadside find.
    — Kelly Ryan Kegans, Country Living, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Meaning that much more of your tire is on the road to create friction and grip to brake.
    — Popular Science, 30 Nov. 2020
  • Don’t cut in front of large trucks, and try not to brake quickly in front of them, if possible.
    — Courtesy Of Texas Dps, Chron, 3 Sep. 2021
  • Drivers need to brake firmly and stay in the lane instead of swerving.
    — Brian Sherrod, CBS News, 22 June 2026
  • The driverless taxi braked hard, but struck and ran over the woman before coming to a stop.
    — Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
  • Her Waymo test car braked and moved slightly to the side of the road and kept them out of harm’s way.
    — Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
  • When it's done, the driver must brake to a stop within 15 seconds.
    — Evan Williams, Ars Technica, 2 Jan. 2024
  • During that time, the gas pedal was pushed to the floor, and no one attempted to brake.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 15 May 2026
  • Along with this, the steering, front-end grip, and braking all get uprated.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2024
  • But the biggest surprise was braking.
    — Bryan Rogala, Outside, 19 Mar. 2026
  • The person behind them takes a second to respond and has to brake even harder.
    — Arkansas Online, 25 Nov. 2022
  • The human driver then sped ahead of the robotaxi and braked abruptly in front of it.
    — Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
  • The vehicle detected the child and braked hard.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Mansfield’s driver failed to brake in time, striking the rear of the vehicle.
    — A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, 13 June 2023
  • All those hard braking zones feed energy back into the battery.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 15 May 2026
  • The upgrade to look for is a braking system, a feature that hasn't yet trickled down from high-end brands.
    — Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Trying to turn would jackknife the bike, so most riders would brake to a standstill, then try to hop and pivot.
    — Peter Rubin, Longreads, 10 Nov. 2022
  • The driverless car began braking but couldn’t avoid hitting the woman.
    — Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Avoid making sharp turns or braking suddenly.
    — Jamie Landers, Dallas Morning News, 21 Jan. 2026
  • The robotaxi braked but was hit by the gate, resulting in some minor scratches.
    — Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Cruise initially said its vehicle swerved and braked, but still hit the pedestrian.
    — WIRED, 20 Nov. 2023

Some of 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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