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
  • Part of it is that more women are speaking up about hair loss, shrugging off the stigma and reaching out for help.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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 Assembly plan calls for rejecting the governor’s cap on certain damages that people can receive.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The council would have the final say in approving — or rejecting — Lucas’ nomination.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 26 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 31 Aug. 2026.

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