brakes

Everyday

1. Brakes are the parts of a bike, car, train or other vehicle that slow it down or stop it. tree →
2. He or she brakes means he or she uses the brakes to slow down or stop. tree →

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 →
• The bus driver slammed on the brakes. tree →
• Wet brakes take longer to stop the bike. tree →
• The car brakes squealed at the crossing. tree →
• My bike has two brakes on the handlebars. tree →
• Brakes use friction to slow the wheels down. tree →
• She brakes gently when going downhill. tree →
• The train's brakes hissed as it stopped. tree →
• He held on savagely, and stuck out his feet to act as brakes on the dark slope of the hot, moist earth. tree →

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.