a face covered with bristles
the bristles of a brush
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In contrast, New World porcupines—those found in North and South America—have individual quills interspersed with sensory guard hairs, bristles, and underfur.—Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026 But there’s plenty of homophobia to go around here, too, as the higher-in-the-ranks men that Francis and his cohort are assigned to entertain bristle at seeing the men dressed up as women and acting femininely.—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 22 May 2026 Use a nylon-bristle brush to scrub the affected areas.—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 May 2026 It’s made of rigid metal wire instead of thin bristles, which are twisted in three layers to reach every surface on the grates.—Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 16 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for bristle
Word History
Etymology
Middle English bristil, from brust bristle, from Old English byrst; akin to Old High German burst bristle, and perhaps to Latin fastigium top