Synonyms of brushes

brushes 1 of 3

noun

plural of brush

as in encounters

a brief clash between enemies or rivals

the two advance parties had a brush, but no one was wounded

Synonyms & Similar Words

• encounters
• skirmishes
• fights
• scrapes
• arguments
• quarrels
• brawls
• run-ins
• spats
• battles
• tiffs
• hassles
• squabbles
• rows
• wrangles
• frays

brushes

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of brush

as in flows

to move or proceed smoothly and readily

a pop star brushing past a crowd of autograph seekers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flows
• glides
• sails
• drifts
• bowls
• sweeps
• cruises
• slides
• streams
• slips
• rolls
• races
• speeds
• flies
• rushes
• whisks
• coasts
• breezes
• skims

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• struggles
• stamps
• flounders
• stumbles
• trudges
• shuffles
• limps
• plods
• stumps
• lumbers
• stomps
• tramps
• toils
• labors
• shambles

brushes

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of brush

as in kisses

to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing

spiderwebs brushed her cheek as she walked through the basement

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kisses
• shaves
• touches
• nudges
• caresses
• strokes
• skims
• grazes
• scrapes
• contacts
• pats
• sweeps
• bumps
• misses
• swipes
• skips
• strikes
• rebounds
• glances
• pets
• cuddles
• loves
• bounces
• fondles
• skirts
• sideswipes
• ricochets
• caroms

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hits
• knocks
• impacts
• slaps
• punches
• bangs
• clashes
• swipes
• bumps
• slams
• rams
• smashes
• impinges
• smacks
• crashes
• collides
• whacks
• thwacks
• bashes
• thuds

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of brushes

Noun

What was once a simple shelf of shampoo and brushes now reads more like a beauty counter. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026

All around the studio are things Wesselmann touched, not only his artworks but his brushes and paint tubes and even a pair of gloves (handily labeled TR and TL, for Tom right hand and Tom left hand). — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The 27 makeup brushes, hot tools, and hair accessories that have won this year’s Allure Best of Beauty Awards in our Tools category are the kind of hard workers that simplify, streamline, and optimize your routine. — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026

Can’t stay away from those hair dryers, thermal brushes, and straighteners? — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

When drawing, De Kooning loved to use liner and sword brushes, which are favored by sign painters. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026

Its PreciSense LiDAR navigation quickly maps your layout to create efficient cleaning routes, while its dual anti-tangle system keeps pet hair and fibers from jamming the brushes. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026

In total, the recall now affects 3,625,800 grill brushes, which have black plastic, stainless steel and wood handles. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026

People can be reticent to talk about near-death experiences, but even some celebrities have discussed these brushes with death. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

Verb

Vicki brushes it off, and even Shannon can’t defend her friend’s callousness. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Fertitta brushes off the scuffle between his president and Meloni. — CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

During a penumbral eclipse, the moon merely brushes this outer zone and often appears only subtly dimmed. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Flagrantly practicing an especially ribald strain of cringe comedy that brushes several third rails, often simultaneously, the show could have been a disastrous gambit. — Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Soon after Sally brushes off the comments, her daughters are introduced. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026

Johnson brushes off the skirmishes, broadly speaking, as part of the governing process. — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 30 June 2026

Bryce Harper, star slugger, the Phillie Phanatic's best friend, and baseball hero to children of all ages, brushes his teeth. — CBS News, 28 May 2026

These stocks have climbed for weeks as the market brushes off the narrative that AI is a threat to the cybersecurity industry. — Morgan Chittum,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 27 May 2026