as in waving
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 brandishing
Four playable characters brandishing various weapons in a promotional screenshot for Borderlands 4.
—
Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
He was initially arrested in that case in March of 2025 for the threat charge and also for brandishing a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in public.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
They could be seen brandishing signs in support of workers and unions.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Peter was eating ice-cream cake; kids chased one another across the lawn brandishing foam swords and squirt guns.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Chris Kavanagh booked Everton’s Carlos Alcaraz in their 1-0 defeat against Leeds United on Monday evening for brandishing an imaginary yellow card after being fouled.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Both Nunez and Facio hospitalized after shootout On the morning of June 2, officers responded to the area of Ironwood Drive and Ray Avenue in Apache Junction after receiving reports of a driver brandishing a gun, police said.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Baltimore Ravens legend Terrell Suggs was arrested after brandishing a gun at a Starbucks drive-thru in Scottsdale last year, and a dashcam caught it all.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
He was initially arrested in that case in March of 2025 for the threat charge and also for brandishing a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in public.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025
They could be seen brandishing signs in support of workers and unions.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Peter was eating ice-cream cake; kids chased one another across the lawn brandishing foam swords and squirt guns.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Chris Kavanagh booked Everton’s Carlos Alcaraz in their 1-0 defeat against Leeds United on Monday evening for brandishing an imaginary yellow card after being fouled.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Both Nunez and Facio hospitalized after shootout On the morning of June 2, officers responded to the area of Ironwood Drive and Ray Avenue in Apache Junction after receiving reports of a driver brandishing a gun, police said.
—Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Baltimore Ravens legend Terrell Suggs was arrested after brandishing a gun at a Starbucks drive-thru in Scottsdale last year, and a dashcam caught it all.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brandishing
Verb
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Footage from the rescue mission shared by Michigan State Police on X shows the woman frantically waving towards the helicopter above her while lost amongst the trees.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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While some crowds did gather Saturday waving green, white and red flags in the predominantly Latino Pilsen neighborhood, an undercurrent of caution persisted.—
Priscilla Alvarez,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Heading into 2026, however, there are 36 gubernatorial contests, with Sabato’s Crystal Ball announcing rating shifts for Maine and Iowa on Thursday.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
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One woman has drawn worldwide attention after announcing she is engaged to her AI chatbot boyfriend.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brandishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brandishing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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