bristle
Americannoun
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one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes.
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anything resembling these hairs.
verb (used without object)
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to stand or rise stiffly, like bristles.
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to erect the bristles, as an irritated animal (often followed byup ).
The hog bristled up.
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to become rigid with anger or irritation.
The man bristled when I asked him to move.
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to be thickly set or filled with something suggestive of bristles.
The plain bristled with bayonets. The project bristled with difficulties.
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to be visibly roused or stirred (usually followed byup ).
verb (used with object)
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to erect like bristles.
The rooster bristled his crest.
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to furnish with a bristle or bristles.
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to make bristly.
noun
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any short stiff hair of an animal or plant
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something resembling these hair
toothbrush bristle
verb
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to stand up or cause to stand up like bristles
the angry cat's fur bristled
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to show anger, indignation, etc
she bristled at the suggestion
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(intr) to be thickly covered or set
the target bristled with arrows
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(intr) to be in a state of agitation or movement
the office was bristling with activity
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(tr) to provide with a bristle or bristles
Other Word Forms
- bristleless adjective
- bristlelike adjective
- bristly adjective
- nonbristled adjective
- unbristled adjective
Etymology
Origin of bristle
before 1000; Middle English bristel, equivalent to brist ( Old English byrst bristle, cognate with German Borste, Old Norse burst ) + -el diminutive suffix
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.
Others bristled at the Mayor’s comparison of the freeway and public transit.
From Los Angeles Times
For larger, firmer areas like her back, she preferred the bristled side.
From Science Daily
Many residents are thrilled by the promising tool, but others bristle at the idea of manipulating nature.
From Los Angeles Times
“A fur muff?” she demanded, each word bristling with suspicion.
From Literature
I bristled as she pulled my braid around and laid it on my chest.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
