brush up

verb

brushed up; brushing up; brushes up

transitive verb

1

: to improve or polish as if by brushing

2

: to renew one's skill in

brush up your Spanish

intransitive verb

: to refresh one's memory : renew one's skill

brush up on math

brushup

ˈbrəsh-ˌəp 

noun

Examples of brush up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, its leaves, fruits, and roots are all highly toxic whether eaten or just brushed up against if there's an open wound or abrasion. — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 4 July 2026

While Imai is trying to improve his English, some of his fellow pitchers are brushing up on their Japanese. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 July 2026

Meanwhile, O'Toole, who died in 2013 at 81, helped Slater brush up on her acting skills as the two filmed their scenes together. — Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026

Ahead, brush up on all our freshest ideas on how to style baggy jeans this season. — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for brush up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

brush up

verb

: to refresh one's memory, skill, or knowledge

brush up on your Spanish