as in to wave
to put into view in a threatening or excited manner
She brandished a stick at the dog. brandished a petition signed by hundreds of town residents
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Recent Examples of brandish
One of the motorists brandished a weapon and gunshots were fired.
—
Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
Many more incidents are categorized as defensive gun uses—in which a firearm is deployed, or brandished, in order to deter a crime.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
The actor playing Brown wears a red hooded sweatshirt and brandishes a pocket knife similar to the one police say Brown used to fatally stab Zarutska.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025
After spending years in and out of care facilities, Brian’s life changed in 1993 after he was prosecuted for brandishing a knife.
—Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brandish
Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
Many more incidents are categorized as defensive gun uses—in which a firearm is deployed, or brandished, in order to deter a crime.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
The actor playing Brown wears a red hooded sweatshirt and brandishes a pocket knife similar to the one police say Brown used to fatally stab Zarutska.
—Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025
After spending years in and out of care facilities, Brian’s life changed in 1993 after he was prosecuted for brandishing a knife.
—Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brandish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brandish
Verb
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Many springs feature a visible boil at the water surface above the spring vent, crystal clear water, submerged grasses waving in the current, and a range of fish, turtles, snails and other aquatic animals hiding in the grasses.—
Christopher F. Meindl,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
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Students waved pompoms also in the school’s signature black and red as Wilson jumped for joy.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two years after the Golden State Valkyries paid $50 million as a league expansion fee, the three franchises set to enter into the league in 2028, 2029 and 2030 were announced with a corresponding $250 million expansion fee.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
4 Oct. 2025
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In late May, Ludwinski, who opened the pie shop in 2015 on Kercheval in Detroit’s West Village, announced a temporary closure that started June 8.—
Susan Selasky,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meet Nashville's new crime-fighting Clydesdale Metro Nashville mounted patrol officer Michael Douglas squeezed a three-foot-long rubber chicken, producing an increasingly louder and closer screeching sound to try and provoke a 1,700-pound Clydesdale named Ross.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 Oct. 2025
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Now the podcast era produces orders of magnitude more hours of political commentary than any human can consume.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brandish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brandish. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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