slam/jam on the brakes

idiom

: to press down hard on the brakes of a car to make it stop suddenly
He slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the other car.
You risk getting into an accident if you jam on the brakes when another car is right behind you.

Examples of slam/jam on the brakes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Brake early, brake slowly, brake correctly, and never slam on the brakes. Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 16 Jan. 2024 If the first Trump tariffs in 2018 through 2019 are a guide, those importers could slam on the brakes in the coming months, Seroka said. Lisa Baertlein, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Slam/jam on the brakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slam%2Fjam%20on%20the%20brakes. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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