brushing (off)

verb

present participle of brush (off)
as in winking (at)

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushing (off)
  1. shrugging off
  2. dismissing
  3. rejecting
Verb
  • Trump, now shrugging off concerns about the threat posed to those who remained aboard the plane he was supposed to be on.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Publicly, the White House is shrugging off the legal setbacks.
    — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
Definition of shrugging off
Verb
  • Petersen allegedly deferred to a male sergeant’s expertise on topics including firearms and internal affairs while dismissing Kennon’s expertise in other areas.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026
  • With the commander-in-chief and defense secretary now dismissing those reports as false, Congress should require a bipartisan committee of former military members to visit the ship.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • The issue has split circuit courts, with the 9th Circuit (which Idaho is part of) and six other circuit courts rejecting the administration’s position.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 20 Aug. 2026
  • These critiques assume that people rejecting vaccines have access to good information about them, but that’s not always the case, Marnik said.
    — Felice J. Freyer, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of rejecting
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.

Browse Nearby Words

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

“Brushing (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushing%20%28off%29. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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