as in to ignore
to dismiss as of little importance
brushed off their complaints as the whining of people who were never satisfied
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brush (aside or off)
Verb
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This framing effectively provides a rationale for ignoring officers’ commands during field encounters.—
Christina Buttons,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026 -
Fedorov, the new defense minister, acknowledges the scale of the problem, telling the Ukrainian parliament some 2 million people are ignoring their call-up papers, while 200,000 others have deserted.—
Andrew Carey,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Former Patriots called out the team for not giving Mayo a fair shot, but after replacing Mayo with Mike Vrabel, all is forgiven.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Knowing this, you’d be forgiven for having difficulty differentiating one bear from another.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The many historic parallels far beyond academia should not be overlooked.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The arch would overlook the Potomac River on the other side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Whitwam explains that Catalina mule deer hunting was traditionally reserved for island residents and their guests, or hunters who were willing to book with a local guide.—
Kris Millgate,
Outdoor Life,
6 Feb. 2026
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Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs argued Brady’s role as a sports network broadcaster — not just a Patriots icon — explains his neutral stance.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In a series of emails to the Post last week shared with Semafor, Newsom Chief Deputy Director of Communications Tara Gallegos admonished the paper over various details of its articles.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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Even so, personality disputes can be papered over if countries share mutual goals and interests.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Howard, who had served as a second lieutenant with the Ninety‑Second Division, 366th Infantry in France during World War I, accused President Truman of using the Cold War to justify a sweeping peacetime expansion of America’s global military footprint.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
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And yet Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claims that the agents were justified despite evidence so clear that it can be found unedited on YouTube.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump last year pardoned several people convicted for blockading clinics.—
Josh Funk,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Consistently entertaining and loopy (pardon the pun) Tales From the Loop is a visual feast that hits the ground running and sticks the landing.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Brush (aside or off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brush%20%28aside%20or%20off%29. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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