bristle
noun
one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes.
bristling
-
present participleof bristle.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Morgan, who was working at Bennigan’s when Texas Roadhouse recruited him in 1997, remembers bristling at the buy-in—and having to borrow from his parents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
Or Santos bristling at her new boss’s insistence on clearing her charting backlog while tending cranky patients.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026
Smith, moustache bristling, bravely taking on the terrifying West Indies pace attack or battling it out against the unrelenting Australians, was a familiar sight for England supporters for nearly a decade.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
The largest and most ferocious of the three halted in front of Frodo, bristling and growling.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
