BRUSHES (OFF) Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

brushes (off)

verb

present tense third-person singular of brush (off)

as in shrugs off

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushes (off)

Verb

Turkey’s government insists its courts are independent as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shrugs off European rulings, a stance that has already fueled a diplomatic clash with Western ambassadors over Kavala’s detention.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The team shrugs off criticism that the end result was overbudget and overdue.

— Lauren Victory, CBS News, 20 June 2026

Definition of shrugs off

Verb

When a human accepts, rejects or overrides the agent, the organization can reconstruct why—not from a comment field that made sense to the person who wrote it, but from a structured record that holds its meaning after they're gone.

— Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Israel rejects this, viewing the area as disputed rather than occupied.

— Pesha Magid Reuters, Arkansas Online, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejects

Verb

After roll call and then assisting a man who sought to change his address, Judge Cho dismisses the other immigrants without speaking to them individually.

— Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2026
The Heritage Foundation’s Yenor dismisses the notion that elite sports pose any threat to male fertility, observing to SciAm that, since 1990, Super Bowl–winning quarterbacks have had a higher than average number of children.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismisses

Verb

At a raucous commission meeting Tuesday, City Manager Rickelle Williams faced a storm of withering accusations in her initial job evaluation — mostly from Mayor Dean Trantalis, who eagerly supported hiring Williams last year but now scorns her in public.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.

— Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026

Definition of scorns

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“Brushes (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushes%20%28off%29. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of brushes (off)

verb

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