BRUSHING Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

brushing 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of brush

as in flowing

to move or proceed smoothly and readily a pop star brushing past a crowd of autograph seekers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

brushing

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of brush

as in kissing

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of brushing

Verb

Images also depict a heap of trash bags outside the sally port and people brushing their teeth outside with a hose. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026 Plaque starts building up within roughly 48 hours, so brushing a few times per week is a good baseline. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026 Each whisker is packed with sensitive nerve endings at its base that detect tiny deflections, vibrations, and pressure changes when brushing against surfaces. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 Calvert-Lewin was unlucky to see a 34th-minute header marked down as an own goal after brushing the head of teammate Jayden Bogle on the way in. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 The other often comes as strips, trays or a dedicated device used after brushing. — Matt Emma, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 Water is something children and adults use every single day from brushing teeth, taking showers, washing hands, to drinking water after playing outside. — Kristin Tsumura Tsai, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Other ways to conserve include turning off the water while brushing your teeth or washing your face, shortening shower times, repurposing water, or turning off the kitchen faucet while washing dishes. — Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026 Sinéty developed a knack for finding within quotidian domestic and village scenes—a woman brushing her hair, a picnic in the sun—a dreamlike sense of mystery. — Felix Bazalgette, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushing

Verb

As the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital began flowing, Ramey took a deep breath, sputtered and began snoring.

— MICHAEL GRACZYK, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
The power grid automatically moves it, continuously flowing, to wherever demand is spiking, the moment it’s needed.

— Thomas Zawacki, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of flowing

Verb

Columnist Amy Kaufman wrote about how watching affectionate moments between the couple, such as a clip of them kissing, can trigger intense reactions among Swifties.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2026
In a world where kissing up and pissing down was, if not accepted, often tolerated as the price of doing business, Wayne dispensed grace in every direction.

— Mike Hogan, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of kissing

Verb

Infused with sunflower seed oil, castor seed oil, jojoba seed oil, squalane, and shea butter, Dear Dahlia’s Lip Paradise Sensual Lip Glow feels like, well, butter gliding onto your lips.

— Sarah Han, Allure, 24 Sep. 2026
Then the foils lifted free, and the ship took to the sky, gliding low over the water like a pelican skimming the waves.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of gliding

Verb

After finally shaving his beard off, Colbert concluded the interview by gifting Kimmel something special from his show.

— Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Colbert had no hesitation about taking the tool to his facial hair, shaving it off and returning to his recognizable clean-shaven look.

— Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of shaving

Verb

The bay facing the western shore of Newfoundland is the mouth—the gaping estuary—of the Saint Lawrence, Newfoundland on the chart detached and apparently drifting out to sea.

— Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
By contrast, heart rate barely moved during the control trial, drifting from 85 to 80 bpm.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of drifting

Verb

The work that’s growing fastest is work done with people and with things — the kind AI is furthest from touching.

— Pat Gelsinger, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
The order set in motion efforts to revise or remove interpretive signs and other materials across national parks and federal sites, touching on subjects ranging from slavery and Indigenous history to climate change.

— Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026