brake

1
[ breyk ]
/ breɪk /

noun

verb (used with object), braked, brak·ing.

verb (used without object), braked, brak·ing.

Origin of brake

1
1400–50; late Middle English < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German; akin to break

OTHER WORDS FROM brake

brake·less, adjective

Definition for brake (2 of 5)

brake 2
[ breyk ]
/ breɪk /

noun

a place overgrown with bushes, brambles, or cane.

Origin of brake

2
1400–50; late Middle English (in phrase brake of fern thicket of fern) < Middle Low German brake thicket

Definition for brake (3 of 5)

brake 3
[ breyk ]
/ breɪk /

noun

any of several large or coarse ferns, especially the bracken, Pteridium aquilinum.

Origin of brake

3
1275–1325; Middle English brake, probably by back formation from braken bracken, taken as plural

Definition for brake (4 of 5)

brake 4
[ breyk ]
/ breɪk /

verb Archaic.

simple past tense of break.

Definition for brake (5 of 5)

Origin of break

before 900; Middle English breken, Old English brecan; cognate with Dutch breken, German brechen, Gothic brikan; akin to Latin frangere; see fragile

synonym study for break

1. Break, crush, shatter, smash mean to reduce to parts, violently or by force. Break means to divide by means of a blow, a collision, a pull, or the like: to break a chair, a leg, a strap. To crush is to subject to (usually heavy or violent) pressure so as to press out of shape or reduce to shapelessness or to small particles: to crush a beetle. To shatter is to break in such a way as to cause the pieces to fly in many directions: to shatter a light globe. To smash is to break noisily and suddenly into many pieces: to smash a glass.

OTHER WORDS FROM break

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH break

brake break

Example sentences from the Web for brake

British Dictionary definitions for brake (1 of 5)

brake 1
/ (breɪk) /

noun

verb

to slow down or cause to slow down, by or as if by using a brake
(tr) to crush or break up using a brake

Derived forms of brake

brakeless, adjective

Word Origin for brake

C18: from Middle Dutch braeke; related to breken to break

British Dictionary definitions for brake (2 of 5)

brake 2
/ (breɪk) /

noun

an area of dense undergrowth, shrubs, brushwood, etc; thicket

Word Origin for brake

Old English bracu; related to Middle Low German brake, Old French bracon branch

British Dictionary definitions for brake (3 of 5)

brake 3
/ (breɪk) /

noun

another name for bracken (def. 1) See also rock brake

British Dictionary definitions for brake (4 of 5)

brake 4
/ (breɪk) /

verb

archaic, mainly biblical a past tense of break

British Dictionary definitions for brake (5 of 5)

break
/ (breɪk) /

verb breaks, breaking, broke or broken

noun

interjection

boxing wrestling a command by a referee for two opponents to separate

Word Origin for break

Old English brecan; related to Old Frisian breka, Gothic brikan, Old High German brehhan, Latin frangere Sanskrit bhráj bursting forth

Idioms and Phrases with brake

break