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.

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).

verb (used with object), bris·tled, bris·tling.

to erect like bristles: The rooster bristled his crest.

to furnish with a bristle or bristles.

to make bristly.

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…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

This set of two Oxo scrub brushes is designed for the hardest to reach, toughest stains, with durable nylon bristles and comfortable no-slip grips.
Grout scrub brushes that tackle even the toughest stains|PopSci Commerce Team|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
Avoid wringing out a brush after washing, which can damage its bristles, Lee said.
Bacteria can grow on your neglected makeup and brushes. Here’s what to toss and what to clean.|Allyson Chiu|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
If you don’t, “the bristles tend to get frayed and do not effectively remove as much bacteria and plaque from your mouth,” she says.
When to replace smoke detectors, sponges, pillows and more, according to experts|Daniel Bortz|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
But the tanks with their guns bristling ominously toward Syrian territory failed to respond to the shelling.
Turkey’s Attitude Toward ISIS? Sympathy for the Devil|Jamie Dettmer|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Caiman offers a range of option packages, from bristling-with-machine-guns, to monster-truck-field-hospital.
Why Does My Kids’ Elementary School Need a Tank?|Andy Hinds|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Security guards stand about, bristling with straps and guns and billy clubs.
Adam Hochschild on Keeping Company With His Dying Father|Adam Hochschild|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The National Rifle Association was always there bristling on the barricades of opposition.
For Obama, Romney, and America, Gun Control Is Dead|Robert Shrum|July 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In what way, exactly, is a nation bristling with armaments like people gunned down by the Einsatzgruppen?
Tel Aviv is Not Vilna|Emily L. Hauser|April 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
His face was hidden beneath a beard of bristling, bushy red, and he had a sharp hook nose and small, bright eyes.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
The duke was agricultural above all things; he had a model estate bristling with scientific improvement.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
With his hair bristling, Balsamo receded to the door, uncertain whether to flee or remain.
Balsamo, The Magician|Alexander Dumas
His overcoat was army blue, but he wore a bristling fur cap, and his rifle was slung on his back.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
Two of the dark-grey masses, bristling with steel on our front, began to move towards the battery.
The British Expedition to the Crimea|William Howard Russell

British Dictionary definitions for bristle

bristle

/ (ˈbrɪsəl) /

noun

any short stiff hair of an animal or plant

something resembling these hairtoothbrush bristle

verb

(when intr , often foll by up) to stand up or cause to stand up like bristlesthe angry cat's fur bristled

(intr sometimes foll by up) to show anger, indignation, etcshe bristled at the suggestion

(intr) to be thickly covered or setthe target bristled with arrows

(intr) to be in a state of agitation or movementthe office was bristling with activity

(tr) to provide with a bristle or bristles

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

bristle

Origin of bristle

OTHER WORDS FROM bristle

Words related to bristle

How to use bristle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bristle

Derived forms of bristle

Word Origin for bristle