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
Canales has compared switching sides on the offensive line to brushing your teeth opposite-handed, which Freeling agreed was an appropriate analogy. — Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 July 2026 Advertisement That makes brushing about much more than fresh breath. — Angela Haupt, Time, 27 July 2026 Instead, when you’re done brushing, just spit out that excess toothpaste and let the small amount left over stay on your teeth. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 23 July 2026 Showers and thunderstorms could return on Wednesday, with a few light showers brushing far northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas. — Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026 While brushing her teeth, Sweeny snapped a photo of herself in a gray cardigan, buttoned half-way down. — Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026 He was arrested on charges of invoking the national flag in his performances, including in a photo published by state run newspaper Granma which depicted the artist brushing his teeth while draping the flag around his waist like a bath towel. — News Desk, Artforum, 21 July 2026 But afterward, Menitoff reacted like most people would, brushing off her arms to make sure the bug had left and even shivering. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026 Eating After Brushing Some people worry that eating breakfast immediately after brushing will cancel out the benefits of brushing. — Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushing
  1. flowing
  2. kissing
  3. gliding
  4. shaving
  5. sliding
  6. nudging
  7. drifting
  8. touching
Verb
  • The gripper works because loose coffee grounds behave much like a fluid, flowing around an object and filling gaps.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
  • With in-store transactions flowing directly to the API, campaign reporting becomes more accurate and AI from Meta can optimize ads based on cross-channel revenue, Lightspeed said.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 27 July 2026
Definition of flowing
Verb
  • More recently, Bunnie Xo spoke about kissing someone else over the July 4th holiday — at Jelly Roll’s Nashville bar — and how the country star reacted.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 31 July 2026
  • The bronze is reportedly stained lipstick-pink from fans kissing it.
    — Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of kissing
Verb
  • And there was Nacua, gliding underneath the pass and taking it to the end zone to a roar of cheers.
    — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 30 July 2026
  • Videos online showed buses easily gliding through emptied lanes.
    — John Surico, Curbed, 24 July 2026
Definition of gliding
Verb
  • Try roasting it with olive oil and salt, sautéing it and adding it to a pasta or grain bowl, or shaving it with a vegetable peeler and adding the raw strips to a salad for some crunch.
    — Sarah Anzlovar, Verywell Health, 20 July 2026
  • And while the results last much longer than shaving, each session typically takes more time, especially when treating larger areas like the legs.
    — Iman Balagam, Vogue, 17 July 2026
Definition of shaving
Verb
  • Originally housing offices, its heyday in Detroit’s industrial age was brief, sliding into decline in the 1960s and ultimately going vacant.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026
  • In the meantime, relatively strong iPhone and Mac sales in this quarter didn’t stop Apple’s stock value from sliding around eight percent in after-hours trading.
    — Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 30 July 2026
Definition of sliding
Verb
  • The Mancunian likes to lurk at the back post and is clever at nudging defenders to put them off-balance.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Instead of nudging people towards Zionism, such coalitions are pulling progressive politicians more towards the pro-Palestine camp with each special election.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of nudging
Verb
  • Bertha is drifting slowly but is expected to move northwest tonight before tracking near or along the northern Gulf Coast over the next several days.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 July 2026
  • Griezmann operated as a central attacker in a front three alongside Angulo and Ojeda, frequently drifting into deeper positions to collect the ball and turn play forward.
    — Scott Turick, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2026
Definition of drifting
Verb
  • In addition to the startling experience of touching the remains of an animal that lived hundreds of millions of years ago, contact with the Mastodonsaurus offers an opportunity to reflect on the future, those involved in the project said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
  • As a result, the person could control the robotic hand without touching it.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of touching

Browse Nearby Words

brush fires
brushing
brushing (aside or off)
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Cite this Entry

“Brushing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushing. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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