Dictionary.com

bristle

[ bris-uhl ]
/ ˈbrɪs əl /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: bristle / bristled / bristles / bristling on Thesaurus.com

noun
one of the short, stiff, coarse hairs of certain animals, especially hogs, used extensively in making brushes.
anything resembling these hairs.
verb (used without object), bris·tled, bris·tling.
verb (used with object), bris·tled, bris·tling.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

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

OTHER WORDS FROM bristle

bris·tle·less, adjectivebris·tle·like, adjectivenon·bris·tled, adjectiveun·bris·tled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bristle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bristle

bristle
/ (ˈbrɪsəl) /

noun
any short stiff hair of an animal or plant
something resembling these hairtoothbrush bristle
verb

Derived forms of bristle

bristly, adjective

Word Origin for bristle

C13 bristil, brustel, from earlier brust, from Old English byrst; related to Old Norse burst, Old High German borst
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
FEEDBACK