air brake
nounDefinition of air brake
1
: a brake operated by a piston driven by compressed air
2
: a surface that may be projected into the airstream for increasing drag and lowering the speed of an airplane
Examples of air brake in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Slowing from high speed will be the job of the car's air brake and parachute, both of which are controlled from the steering wheel like the rocket. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Bloodhound SSC: How do you build a car capable of 1,000mph?," 24 Nov. 2018 Suspension and air brake aside, the 570S retains the key components that define a McLaren. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "The Palace of Perfectionism Where McLaren Supercars Are Born," 12 Feb. 2016 Those angle cocks had come into contact with the underframe of the third train car, closing the valves and rendering the air brakes ineffective. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "‘Run for your lives!’ was the cry as a train burst across Union Station’s concourse.In 1953, just days before Eisenhower’s first inauguration, brakes on an inbound train failed.," 13 Jan. 2018 More in Rumble Seat With the help of its wangling, dangling rear wing/air brake, the Senna’s deceleration is likewise world-historical: from 187 mph to 0 in the space of 705 feet. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2019 McLaren Senna: A Pet Racecar for Billionaires," 31 May 2018 The plane landed with nearly all engines at idle, air brakes on. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Time a B-52 Landed Without a Tail Fin," 1 Aug. 2017 There are active aero flaps in the hood, the front splitter, and the rear diffuser; the articulating rear wing can act as an active air brake; and the car’s underside is completely smooth and flat. — Tony Markovich, Car and Driver, "With 1888 HP, the Rimac C_Two Puts Croatia on the Supercar Map," 7 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'air brake.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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