Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

brook

1 American  
[brook] / brʊk /

noun

  1. a small, natural stream of fresh water.

brook 2 American  
[brook] / brʊk /

verb (used with object)

  1. to bear; suffer; tolerate.

    I will brook no interference.
    Synonyms:
    stomach, abide, endure, stand, take
Brook 1 British  
/ brʊk /

noun

  1. Peter ( Paul Stephen ). born 1925, British stage and film director, noted esp for his experimental work in the theatre

"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
brook 2 British  
/ brʊk /

noun

  1. a natural freshwater stream smaller than a river

"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
brook 3 British  
/ brʊk /

verb

  1. (tr; usually used with a negative) to bear; tolerate

"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

Other Word Forms

  • brookable adjective
  • brookless adjective
  • brooklike adjective

Etymology

Origin of brook1

before 900; Middle English; Old English brōc stream; cognate with Dutch broek, German Bruch marsh

Origin of brook2

before 900; Middle English brouken, Old English brūcan; cognate with Dutch bruiken, German brauchen; akin to Gothic brukjan, Latin fruī to enjoy

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.

A formerly shady brook, enclosed by trees, has been opened out to form a wetland area.

From BBC

Four of the offences included discharging higher-than-permitted levels of cyanide into the Manchester Ship Canal, a nearby river and a local brook.

From BBC

At last they paused at a brook to drink.

From Literature

In Dawlish, Devon, two black swan nests and 10 eggs were washed away after consecutive January storms brought torrential rain and caused the brook to breach its banks.

From BBC

A man has died after he entered a flooded brook during a police chase.

From BBC

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.