as in flows
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
a pop star brushing past a crowd of autograph seekers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of brushes
Trisha Easto, USA Today, 15 May 2026
From clever watermelon slicers to brushes designed to slide into tight crevices, shop more surprisingly useful gadgets below.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2026
Fill a bowl with water and detergent and swirl the brushes through it like a paintbrush, or place a small amount of detergent in your palm and work the damp brush into it.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Some crews and passengers use vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to keep shoes and equipment free of bugs, feathers, seeds and microbe-carrying dirt, said AP.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 8 May 2026
Since launch, the brand has sold 350,000 brushes, or one brush every three minutes.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
Crews and passengers use vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to scrub shoes and equipment clear of bugs, feathers, seeds and microbe-carrying dirt.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Crews and passengers use vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to scrub shoes and equipment clear of bugs, feathers, seeds and microbe-carrying dirt.
—ABC News, 5 May 2026
Ahead, everything to know about curl brushes, including a step-by-step guide, stylists’ best tips for salon-level results, and how to keep curls looking fresh.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 4 May 2026
Jazmine Hughes, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
When some chime in to say their doctors had been cautiously optimistic about treatments, Sarah brushes that aside.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars post, Commander Tommy Nester finds it behind the ceiling panels, brushes it off the uniforms that aren’t behind glass and sweeps it from the baseboards of the main hall.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2026
See how his head brushes the sky.
—Roey Leonardi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
Elizabeth Scott brushes off the comparison.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
If someone does bring up his teary picture, Wallake brushes it off.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025
Judy brushes him off and leads the way to Cabin Twelve.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
With this new insight in hand, Carol brushes herself off and heads back to the hospital to visit Zosia and ask her directly if there’s any way to reverse the Joining.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025
Noun
This pet grooming kit + vacuum trims, brushes and sucks up loose fur at the same time, so you're not left sweeping up Fido's tumbleweeds afterward.
—Trisha Easto, USA Today, 15 May 2026
From clever watermelon slicers to brushes designed to slide into tight crevices, shop more surprisingly useful gadgets below.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2026
Fill a bowl with water and detergent and swirl the brushes through it like a paintbrush, or place a small amount of detergent in your palm and work the damp brush into it.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Some crews and passengers use vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to keep shoes and equipment free of bugs, feathers, seeds and microbe-carrying dirt, said AP.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 8 May 2026
Since launch, the brand has sold 350,000 brushes, or one brush every three minutes.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
Crews and passengers use vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to scrub shoes and equipment clear of bugs, feathers, seeds and microbe-carrying dirt.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Crews and passengers use vacuums, disinfectants and brushes to scrub shoes and equipment clear of bugs, feathers, seeds and microbe-carrying dirt.
—ABC News, 5 May 2026
Ahead, everything to know about curl brushes, including a step-by-step guide, stylists’ best tips for salon-level results, and how to keep curls looking fresh.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 4 May 2026
Verb
Tokyo Stylez, Cardi’s hairstylist, brushes out a sleek brown hairpiece, and Erika la’ pearl, her makeup artist, dabs at Cardi’s face while the rapper scrolls through her phone, controlling the music.
—Jazmine Hughes, Allure, 24 Mar. 2026
When some chime in to say their doctors had been cautiously optimistic about treatments, Sarah brushes that aside.
—Gerald Witt, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars post, Commander Tommy Nester finds it behind the ceiling panels, brushes it off the uniforms that aren’t behind glass and sweeps it from the baseboards of the main hall.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2026
See how his head brushes the sky.
—Roey Leonardi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
Elizabeth Scott brushes off the comparison.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
If someone does bring up his teary picture, Wallake brushes it off.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2025
Judy brushes him off and leads the way to Cabin Twelve.
—Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025
With this new insight in hand, Carol brushes herself off and heads back to the hospital to visit Zosia and ask her directly if there’s any way to reverse the Joining.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushes
Noun
-
As humans spread deeper into bears' natural habitats around the world, encounters are becoming more common in some places.—
Ahmad Mukhtar,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
Juvenile great whites seen near local shores do not view humans as food, and the risk of negative encounters is low.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Included in this luxury is the Eclipse pool, which seamlessly flows from indoor to outdoor, and totally riddled with kids.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Rather than asking how individuals can adapt, this approach examines how leadership dynamics, communication flows, and operational pressure interact to influence thinking, perception, and decision-making.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
His son Bret recalled his father’s postgame smiles, hugs and kisses with his wife of 58 years Debbie.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Capaldi points back and the pair begin to walk towards one another before Capaldi grabs Styles' face and kisses him.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Footage shows the lovebird riding high inside a clear cabin attached to a drone, as the contraption glides through the air before gently descending toward the ground.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Brazzell is a 6-foot-4, 198-pound target who glides by his opposing corners with ease.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The decision to move elections to November shaves several months off the existing terms of the mayor, vice mayor and commissioners.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
-
For beard trims and shaves, go to Pisterzi in Soho.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The neutrino is a nearly weightless particle that sails through matter like a phantasm.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
-
Sooner or later, every ship sails off into the sunset.—
Elizabeth Heath,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
All of this goes down before even one Louboutin touches the surgically clean white marble floor or ultra-plush Yves Klein blue carpet within the monumental lobby.—
Melinda Sheckells,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Other notable moments include the return of the original theme song, sung by Raya Yarbrough; the closing of the loop from the pilot episode, showing Jamie was the man outside Claire’s window watching her; and the beautiful forget-me-nots growing near the stones after Jamie touches one.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The road drifts, then gets back on track.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
-
The song slowly drifts away, its job completed.—
Ben Cardew,
Pitchfork,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brushes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushes. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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