brush-off 1 of 2

as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly the mayor tends to give anyone under voting age the brush-off

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brush (off)

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brush (off)
Verb
Initially, Makua gave Momoa's offer a polite brush-off. Janee Bolden, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025 Some interpreted the moment as a blatant brush-off; however, others pointed out that Brigitte, 72, could simply have been focused on keeping her balance on the airplane steps or preparing herself to greet the Prince and Princess of Wales. Meredith Kile, People.com, 8 July 2025 But our findings suggest that the mere inclusion of abbreviations, although seemingly benign, start feeling like a brush-off. David Fang, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025 But there are now pressing concerns over whether Trump will pull the U.S. from the alliance as part of his broader brush-off of America's allies—and whether the remaining nations of the Five Eyes could survive it. Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 Alumi-Blast is an apt name for this low sheen coating that looks realistically like cast aluminum that has received a light brush-off abrasive blast at the factory. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 26 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brush (off)
Noun
  • The dismissal represented an abrupt end to a case with little recent precedent in Alameda County.
    Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
  • All of these cases ended with either dismissals or acquittals.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • There are reasons why certain coaches can establish a culture and a mindset that endures, and enables their players to shrug off those adverse moments and carry on.
    Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Cronenworth, who came up through the minor leagues playing primarily at shortstop, shrugged off the praise.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • There was a unilateral rebuff toward the idea that the industry is experiencing a drummer shortage in general.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The impact crater idea faced serious rejection The Silverpit structure was first spotted in 2002 by petroleum geoscientists mapping the seabed, about 80 miles (128 km) off the coast of East Yorkshire.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Fewer than half of the 20,000 households losing city pickup have secured private haulers, with many facing rejections, steep rates or a maze of complications.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • However, the video also shows King Charles and Kate Middleton sitting down while the guests clapped, which people are interpreting as a snub.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Schneider, though, has better things to do than think about the snub.
    Devon Ivie, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Prosecutors also sought another charge of making false statements, court documents released Thursday show, but the grand jury rejected it.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
  • ByteDance and TikTok had challenged the law on First Amendment grounds but the Supreme Court rejected its appeal.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Once the contestants are dismissed from the runway, the judges get more into it.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Defense attorneys for the man accused of killing his Miami Hurricanes football star teammate in 2006 want prosecutors sanctioned — or the murder case dismissed — after a key witness, who state prosecutors believed was dead, was found alive by an ESPN reporter.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Gastineau says the video has led to him being ridiculed and scorned.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Imagine doing all this as a woman in fifteenth-century Europe, with three children to raise on your own, in a society that scorned women who took up a pen rather than the sewing needle.
    Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 23 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Brush (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brush%20%28off%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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