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

Wrapped in a tough, drop-proof fabric shell that floats and shrugs off water, it is engineered to survive real-world chaos.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of shrugs off

Verb

Fox calls the deaths tragic but rejects responsibility Covering any armed conflict by definition involves peril.

— David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
The series backs up 25 years to a Connecticut farm where father Cyrus Trask (Tracy Letts), a peg-legged Civil War veteran, rejects Charles’ gift of a new knife in favor of Adam’s present of a stray puppy, creating a long trail of jealousy.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejects

Verb

If your team is afraid to name real weaknesses, or if leadership dismisses uncomfortable truths, the analysis won’t do what it’s meant to do.

— Nancy Padberg, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Risks, but not existential ones Not everyone dismisses the risk quite so bluntly, though.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 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 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of brushes (off)

verb

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