# handbrake

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #50,553

## Definitions
1. A brake in a vehicle, set by hand, and usually locking on until released by hand, enabling its use when parked.
2. The mechanism, particularly the locking hand-operated lever or foot-operated toggle lever in a motorcar or the hand-operated crank on a railcar, which is used to set and release such a brake.

## Etymology
From hand + brake.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/handbrake