bristle
one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes.
anything resembling these hairs.
to stand or rise stiffly, like bristles.
to erect the bristles, as an irritated animal (often followed by up): The hog bristled up.
to become rigid with anger or irritation: The man bristled when I asked him to move.
to be thickly set or filled with something suggestive of bristles: The plain bristled with bayonets. The project bristled with difficulties.
to be visibly roused or stirred (usually followed by up).
to erect like bristles: The rooster bristled his crest.
to furnish with a bristle or bristles.
to make bristly.
Origin of bristle
1Other words from bristle
- bris·tle·less, adjective
- bris·tle·like, adjective
- non·bris·tled, adjective
- un·bris·tled, adjective
Words Nearby bristle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bristle in a sentence
Americans tend to bristle even at self-censorship; we are reluctant to declare that we simply are not going to look at something.
From ISIS Videos to JLaw Nudes, When Is Looking Abetting Evil? | Michael Daly | September 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd they bristle too at the notion that they had some kind of personal enmity toward the president.
She continued to bristle at being associated with the Mafia because of her father.
A True Tough Guy: The Mafia, Gays, and Michael Sam’s Boyfriend | Michael Daly | May 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer woefully neglected novels still bristle with wit and insight.
The Neglected Penelope Mortimer Was a Novelist Ahead of Her Time | Jessica Ferri | March 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile a normal person would bristle at such obvious red flags, our girls ran like bulls towards love.
Juan Pablo Chooses the Girl He ‘Likes,’ Proposes They Go Get a Burger | Brandy Zadrozny | March 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Even the roofs of the houses bristle with pigeon-lofts and artful-looking structures for the capture of wandering birds.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3) | Charles James WillsTo whom the prophetess, seeing his neck now bristle with horrid snakes, flings a soporific cake of honey and medicated grain.
The Fatal Dowry | Philip MassingerDe time wuz w'en folks had a mighty slim chance fer ter git bristle, en dey aint no tellin' w'en dat time gwine come ag'in.
Nights With Uncle Remus | Joel Chandler HarrisHis mask is brown, cut off above the upper lip, over which a pair of short moustachios bristle.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first | Count Carlo GozziIn crescent formation the dense black cloud swept on—in dead silence—a phalanx of shields, a perfect bristle of assegais.
Forging the Blades | Bertram Mitford
British Dictionary definitions for bristle
/ (ˈbrɪsəl) /
any short stiff hair of an animal or plant
something resembling these hair: toothbrush bristle
(when intr , often foll by up) to stand up or cause to stand up like bristles: the angry cat's fur bristled
(intr sometimes foll by up) to show anger, indignation, etc: she bristled at the suggestion
(intr) to be thickly covered or set: the target bristled with arrows
(intr) to be in a state of agitation or movement: the office was bristling with activity
(tr) to provide with a bristle or bristles
Origin of bristle
1Derived forms of bristle
- bristly, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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