brush

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈbrəsh 

1

: brushwood

2

a

: scrub vegetation

b

: land covered with scrub vegetation

brush

2 of 5

noun (2)

1

: a device composed of bristles typically set into a handle and used especially for sweeping, smoothing, scrubbing, or painting

2

: something resembling a brush: such as

a

: a bushy tail

b

: a feather tuft worn on a hat

3

: an electrical conductor that makes sliding contact between a stationary and a moving part (as of a generator or a motor)

4

a

: an act of brushing

b

: a quick light touch or momentary contact in passing

brush

3 of 5

verb (1)

brushed; brushing; brushes

transitive verb

1

a

: to apply a brush to

b

: to apply with a brush

2

a

: to remove with passing strokes (as of a brush)

b

: to dispose of in an offhand way : dismiss

brushed him off

3

: to pass lightly over or across : touch gently against in passing

brusher noun

brush

4 of 5

noun (3)

: a brief encounter or skirmish

a brush with disaster

a brush with the law

brush

5 of 5

verb (2)

brushed; brushing; brushes

intransitive verb

: to move lightly or heedlessly

brushed past the well-wishers waiting to greet him

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• graze
• kiss
• nudge
• shave
• skim

Noun (3)

• encounter
• hassle
• run-in
• scrape
• skirmish

Verb (2)

• bowl
• breeze
• coast
• cruise
• drift
• flow
• glide
• roll
• sail
• skim
• slide
• slip
• stream
• sweep
• whisk

Examples of brush in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In addition to two curling barrels, the Airwrap comes equipped with a round volumizing brush, a Coanda smoothing dryer, a soft smoothing brush, a firm smoothing brush, a filter cleaning brush, and a storage box. —Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 25 Nov. 2023

The blow dryer brush that needs no introduction — looking at you, Revlon One Step — is a whopping 50 percent off right now. —Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 24 Nov. 2023

The toys, meanwhile, are rendered by Wachtel's brush as precisely as by the machines that made the originals. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023

Pat beat the brush all around me until, with a great racket, up went a partridge into a tree about 10 yards away. —Outdoor Life, 23 Nov. 2023

The new model comes with dual-roller brush heads, which was originally invented by iRobot, but doesn't improve on cleaning by any noticeable margin. —Chuong Nguyen, Ars Technica, 23 Nov. 2023

TikTok agrees – these boots are a seasonal must-have. Find it on Amazon The Must-Have Makeup Brush Set For Every Collection Transform your makeup application with the Makeup Brush Set, featuring 18 essential brushes. —Poppy Morgan, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2023

The crime scene Sarah Yarborough's drill team uniform found in the brush. —Annabelle Allen, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2023

Who wants to carry around a bronzing stick plus another brush in the bottomless pit that is a purse? —Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 12 Nov. 2023

Verb

If the cinnamon-sugar won't stick properly, brush the dough balls lightly with water before rolling in the mixture to coat. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023

Zelensky’s Rise: The Ukrainian president, once brushed off as a political lightweight, has become a household name, representing his country’s tenacity. —Emma Bubola, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023

As many teams brushed away games and moved on to the next, Shildt mined gold from the past. —Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2023

For example, roast eggplant in the oven on a baking sheet, brushed or drizzled with a little avocado oil. —Cynthia Sass, Mph, Rd, Health, 20 Nov. 2023

Of course, a major factor in Santa Fe’s beauty is its natural desert wonder, topped by the eponymous mountains that brush the horizon. —Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2023

During the last 30 minutes of roasting, rotate roasting pan 180 degrees, and brush turkey with 2 tablespoons pomegranate glaze, then return to oven. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023

The local artist achieved this by brushing paper with water and then making the image on the wet surface with watercolor, sumi ink and other substances. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023

In This Article Give Kids Choices Encourage Kids to Make up a Story Choose a Soothing Voice Don't Give Up Practice Your Own Gratitude Meditation Apps to Try Many families' evening routine goes something like this: Bath, brushing teeth, books, and bed. —Kristine Jepsen, Parents, 6 Nov. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English brusch, from an Anglo-French form akin to Old French broce brushwood, Medieval Latin brusca

Noun (2)

Middle English brusshe, from an Anglo-French form akin to Middle French broisse

Noun (3)

Middle English brusche rush, hostile collision, from bruschen

Verb (2)

Middle English bruschen to rush, probably from Middle French brosser to dash through underbrush, from broce

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1674, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing brush

• broad-brush
• brush aside
• brush fire
• brush discharge
• brush cut
• brush border
• brush up
• brush shoulders
• brush-off
• rabbit brush
• end brush
• the brush-off
• scrub brush
• tar with the same brush
• gave me the brush-off
• as daft as a brush
• got the brush-off

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• broad-brush
• brush aside
• brush fire
• brush discharge
• brush cut
• brush border
• brush up
• brush shoulders
• brush-off
• rabbit brush
• end brush
• the brush-off
• scrub brush
• tar with the same brush
• gave me the brush-off
• as daft as a brush
• got the brush-off

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Kids Definition

brush

1 of 5 noun

ˈbrəsh 

1

: brushwood sense 1

2

a

: short trees or shrubs of poor quality

b

: land covered with brush

brush

2 of 5 noun

1

: a tool made of bristles set in a back or handle and used especially for cleaning, smoothing, or painting

2

: a bushy tail (as of a fox or squirrel)

3

: a conductor for an electric current between a moving and a still part of an electric motor or generator

4

a

: an act of brushing

b

: a quick light stroke

brushlike

-ˌlīk

adjective

brush

3 of 5 verb

1

a

: to clean, smooth, scrub, or paint with a brush

b

: to apply with or as if with a brush

2

a

: to remove with or as if with a brush

brush the lint off your coat

b

: to pay no attention to : dismiss

brush off criticism

3

: to pass lightly across : touch gently against in passing

twigs brushed my cheek

brush

4 of 5 noun

: a brief fight or meeting

a brush with disaster

brush

5 of 5 verb

: to move quickly past without stopping or paying attention

brushed by the reporters

Etymology

Noun

Middle English brusch "broken or cut twigs or branches," from early French broce "small broken branches, brushwood"

Noun

Middle English brusshe "brush (for sweeping)," derived from early French broisse

Noun

Middle English brusche "a rush, collision," from bruschen "to rush," probably from early French brosser "to dash through underbrush," from broce "brushwood"