Definition of bristle
:a short stiff coarse hair or filament
- hog bristles
- short bristle paint brushes
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Examples of bristle in a Sentence
a face covered with bristles
the bristles of a brush
Recent Examples of bristle from the Web
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Rinse the bristles and squeeze out the excess water.
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The bristles of this manual brush are treated with silver, which inhibits bacterial growth.
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The Amika brush uses ceramic bristles to get in your curls' nitty-gritty and smoothes them out in record time.
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The animals' plump toes are covered in hundreds of microscopic bristles that generate a kind of electric force strong enough to keep the lizards stuck onto surfaces.
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The brush is similar to the one that comes with Dior Show, with bristles so delicate and plentiful that your lashes almost look individually painted on.
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The brush, which is made with anti-microbial and nonporous bristles, does not soak up product and can be cleaned between uses with soap and water.
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And genetic sequencing revealed that the bristle worm has its own versions of essential molecular clock genes found in terrestrial insects and vertebrates.
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On one side of the dual-ended wand is a full set of short, dense bristles designed to lengthen and thicken.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bristle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of bristle
Middle English bristil, from brust bristle, from Old English byrst; akin to Old High German burst bristle, and perhaps to Latin fastigium top
Other Botany Terms
Definition of bristle
bristled;
bristling
play
\ˈbris-liŋ, ˈbri-sə-\
transitive verb
1
:to furnish with short stiff coarse hairs or filaments :to furnish with bristles
intransitive verb
1 a
:to rise and stand stiffly erect
- quills bristling
b
:to raise the bristles (as in anger)
- a snarling, bristling dog
2
:to take on an aggressively defensive attitude (as in response to a slight or criticism)
- he bristled at the accusations of corruption
3 a
:to be full of or covered with especially something suggestive of bristles
- roofs bristled with chimneys
b
:to be full of something specified
- book bristles with detail and irony
- —W. J. Broad
Examples of bristle in a Sentence
Electricity makes your hair bristle.
a recent college grad thrilled to be starting a new life in a city bristling with possibilities
Recent Examples of bristle from the Web
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Both the brush and the bristles start super skinny but get thicker toward the end with lots of teeny bristles in between.
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Democrats and a handful of Republican senators bristled at the changes made by the House.
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School administrators have also bristled over the mandate.
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Muhammad said of Abraham, bristling at his memory of her allegedly saying that 85 percent of the city’s crime is committed by blacks.
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Some in the established horse community have bristled at Bellissimo’s approach.
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Everyone’s got a real can-do attitude, everyone kind of bristles with activity and good will.
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But maybe the restaurant’s clientele, not beholden to (or even aware of!) tradition, bristles at buying meat by the pound and demands plated dishes.
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Miami-Dade officials, as well as representatives of Triple Five, the mega-mall developer, bristled at the suggestion that Broward had been slighted.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bristle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of bristle
bristle Synonyms
Synonyms
brim, abound, bulge, burst, bustle, buzz, crawl, hum, overflow, pullulate, swarm, teemRelated Words
blow up, flare (up), flip (out) [slang]; bluster, carry on, fulminate, rampage, rant, rave, take on; burn, foam, seethe, smolder (or smoulder), steam; chafe, fret, stewNear Antonyms
lack, need, wantBRISTLE Defined for English Language Learners
bristle
verb
Definition of bristle for English Language Learners
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of hair : to rise up and become stiff
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: to show signs of anger : to become angry
BRISTLE Defined for Kids
Definition of bristle for Students
bristled;
bristling
1
:to rise up and stiffen like bristles
- Her evil laugh makes your hair bristle.
2
:to show signs of anger
- The judge bristled at the reminder of her stupidity.
- —Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game
3
:to be covered with
- The bush bristled with thorns.
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about bristle
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See words that rhyme with bristle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bristle Spanish Central: Translation of bristle Nglish: Translation of bristle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bristle for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bristle
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