刹 (shā): to brake; to stop; to bring to a halt

When he saw the red light, he quickly braked and stopped in front of the crosswalk.

The driver suddenly slammed on the brakes because a child had run into the street.

The brakes of this car are broken and must be repaired immediately; otherwise it's very dangerous.

When he heard a horn behind him, he gently braked to let the car behind pass first.

The road was slippery in the rain, so the driver braked early and avoided a rear-end collision.