brake /bre I k/ (brakes , braking , braked )
1 N‑COUNT Brakes are devices in a vehicle that make it go slower or stop. □ The brakes began locking. □ A seagull swooped down in front of her car, causing her to slam on the brakes.
2 VERB When a vehicle or its driver brakes , or when a driver brakes a vehicle, the driver makes it slow down or stop by using the brakes. □ [V ] She braked sharply to avoid another car. □ [V n] The system automatically brakes the car if there is an imminent risk of a collision. □ [V + to ] She braked to a halt and switched off. [Also V n + to ]
3 N‑COUNT You can use brake in a number of expressions to indicate that something has slowed down or stopped. □ [+ of ] Illness had put a brake on his progress.
bram|ble /bræ mb ə l/ (brambles ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Brambles are wild prickly bushes that produce blackberries. □ I became caught in the brambles.
bran /bræ n/ N‑UNCOUNT Bran is the outer skin of grain that is left when the grain has been used to make flour. □ …oat bran.
branch ◆◇◇ /brɑː ntʃ, bræ ntʃ/ (branches , branching , branched )
1 N‑COUNT The branches of a tree are the parts that grow out from its trunk and have leaves, flowers, or fruit growing on them.
2 N‑COUNT A branch of a business or other organization is one of the offices, shops, or groups which belong to it and which are located in different places. □ [+ of ] The local branch of Bank of America is handling the accounts. □ …Britain's leading autocare service with over 400 branches nationwide.
3 N‑COUNT [adj N ] A branch of an organization such as the government or the police force is a department that has a particular function. □ [+ of ] Senate employees could take their employment grievances to another branch of government. □ [+ of ] He had a fascination for submarines and joined this branch of the service. □ …the Metropolitan Police Special Branch.
4 N‑COUNT A branch of a subject is a part or type of it. □ [+ of ] Oncology is the branch of medicine dealing with tumors.
5 N‑COUNT A branch of your family is a group of its members who are descended from one particular person. □ [+ of ] This is one of the branches of the Roosevelt family.
▸ branch off PHRASAL VERB A road or path that branches off from another one starts from it and goes in a slightly different direction. If you branch off somewhere, you change the direction in which you are going. □ [V P prep/adv] After a few miles, a small road branched off to the right. [Also V P ]
▸ branch out PHRASAL VERB If a person or an organization branches out , they do something that is different from their normal activities or work. □ [V P prep/adv] I continued studying moths, and branched out to other insects. [Also V P ]
bra nch line (branch lines ) N‑COUNT A branch line is a railway line that goes to small towns rather than one that goes between large cities.
brand ◆◇◇ /bræ nd/ (brands , branding , branded )
1 N‑COUNT [adj N ] A brand of a product is the version of it that is made by one particular manufacturer. □ [+ of ] Winston is a brand of cigarette. □ I bought one of the leading brands. □ …a supermarket's own brand.
2 N‑COUNT A brand of something such as a way of thinking or behaving is a particular kind of it. □ [+ of ] The British brand of socialism was more interested in reform than revolution.
3 VERB If someone is branded as something bad, people think they are that thing. □ [be V -ed + as ] I was instantly branded as a rebel. □ [be V -ed adj] The company has been branded racist by some of its own staff. □ [V n n] The U.S. administration recently branded him a war criminal. [Also V n + as , V n adj]
4 VERB When you brand an animal, you put a permanent mark on its skin in order to show who it belongs to, usually by burning a mark onto its skin. □ [V n] The owner couldn't be bothered to brand the cattle. ● N‑COUNT Brand is also a noun. □ A brand was a mark of ownership burned into the hide of an animal with a hot iron. USAGE brand
Don’t talk about the ‘mark’ of a product. For example, don’t say ‘
trademark: Intellectual property law deals with trademarks, copyright and patents.
logo: The product was relaunched with a new website and logo in April.
brand|ed /bræ nd I d/ ADJ [ADJ n] A branded product is one which is made by a well-known manufacturer and has the manufacturer's label on it. [BRIT , BUSINESS ] □ Supermarket lines are often cheaper than branded goods. in AM, use brand-name product
bra nd im|age (brand images ) N‑COUNT The brand image of a particular brand of product is the image or impression that people have of it, usually created by advertising. [BUSINESS ] □ Few products have brand images anywhere near as strong as Levi's.
brand|ing /bræ nd I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT The branding of a product is the presentation of it to the public in a way that makes it easy for people to recognize or identify. [BUSINESS ] □ Local companies build the theme parks, while we look after the branding.