emergency brake
8
2.7
- noun
- /ɪˈmɜrdʒənsi breɪk/
- US
:
freno de emergencia
- Expertly turned the wheels inward and put on the emergency brake.
- pull the emergency brake
- release the emergency brake
- put on the emergency brake
Examples
-
You didn't set the emergency brake, and you didn't put the car in Park.
Fiction book (1993) -
Somebody pull the emergency brake!
-
You got to take off the emergency brake, baby.
-
If you hear me, you need to pull the emergency brake!
-
The emergency brake light goes on, indicating that I must release my emergency brake before I drive forward.
Blog text (18) -
Bob released the emergency brake, and the pickup rolled forward off the gravel.
Fiction book (1997) -
Pull the emergency brake!
-
Set your emergency brake.
-
I rechecked the mirror, set my teeth, and yanked up the emergency brake.
Fiction book (2001) -
To prevent it from rolling away on the hill, make sure to set the emergency brake before you exit the vehicle.
Synonyms
6
2.3
A lever or pedal that keeps a car from moving when you leave it
1
2.0
A control you pull to keep a parked car from moving
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a brake used in emergencies or to keep a vehicle still' is directly and compositionally derived from 'emergency' (urgent situation) + 'brake' (device to stop motion). This purpose-denoting compound follows normal English composition and is cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Emergency brake comes from a simple image: it is a brake you can pull in an emergency or to hold a car when it is parked. So it means a hand-operated brake used to 'stop' the car quickly or keep it 'parked'.