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
  • Publicly, the White House is shrugging off the legal setbacks.
    — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026
  • Paul said, referring to an interview Edwards did several years ago shrugging off the Phoenix Suns’ addition of Kevin Durant.
    — Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of shrugging off
Verb
  • Washington has gone from dismissing Zelensky to seeking deals of its own with Ukraine.
    — Thomas Nagorski, Time, 27 July 2026
  • An unchecked ego further erodes psychological safety, as dismissing feedback signals that team contributions are unwelcome, creating dangerous blind spots.
    — Dr. Samantha Madhosingh, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of dismissing
Verb
  • The 9th Circuit joined the 2nd, 6th, 7th, 10th, and 11th Circuits in rejecting the administration’s policy, countering the 5th and 8th Circuits, which have said the policy is lawful.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026
  • North and Central America and Caribbean governing body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) later came out with statements rejecting FIFA’s proposal, but stopping short of a boycott.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 30 July 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 3 Aug. 2026.

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