Basic Details
Word: Brake
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The part of a vehicle used to slow it down or stop it; as a verb, to slow down using this part.
Synonyms: stop, slow down
Antonyms: accelerate, speed up
Sounds like: break (to split or smash into pieces; a short rest)
How to Spell Brake
Syllables: brake
Tricky part: The long a sound is spelt a-e. Break, with ea, sounds the same but means to split into pieces.
Watch out for: braik, braek, brayk
Memory tip: Picture a car braking hard beside a lake: brake ends like lake. Break is the odd one, with ea like steak, and it is what happens to a glass you drop.
Idioms and Phrases
- put the brakes on: to slow something down or stop it. Example: "The rain put the brakes on our plan to visit the zoo."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The bus driver pressed the brake as the signal turned red.
Example 2: My bicycle's front brake squeaks in the rain.
Example 3: Always brake gently on a wet road.
Fun Fact
Many electric and hybrid cars use regenerative brakes, which turn some of the car's movement back into electricity to charge the battery.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word brake as used in the sentence:
The driver had to brake sharply when a cow wandered onto the road.
a) slow
b) halt
c) accelerate
d) stop
Show answer
c) accelerate. Stop, slow and halt are what braking does; to accelerate is to go faster.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. brake 2. stearing 3. acclerator 4. tyer
a) the pedal that makes a vehicle go faster
b) a part used to slow or stop a vehicle
c) the rubber cover round a wheel
d) the parts used to turn a vehicle
Show answer
b) a part used to slow or stop a vehicle. Steering has ee, accelerator has a double c and an e, and tyre ends -re; brake is correct.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
Press the kerab gently when the road is wet.
a) break
b) bark
c) baker
d) brake
Show answer
d) brake. Break and baker use the same letters, but the thing you press to slow down is a brake.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to complete the word:
br_k_
a) a, o
b) e, e
c) i, e
d) a, e
Show answer
d) a, e. The silent e at the end makes the a say its name.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A hand brake in a car is used to ____.
a) sound the horn
b) switch on the lights
c) keep it still when parked
d) open the boot
Show answer
c) keep it still when parked
2. To brake a bicycle, a rider usually ____.
a) rings the bell on the handlebar
b) squeezes a lever on the handlebar
c) pedals faster down the slope
d) lifts the seat a little higher
Show answer
b) squeezes a lever on the handlebar
