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brush-off

[ bruhsh-awf, -of ]
/ ˈbrʌʃˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
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See synonyms for brush-off on Thesaurus.com
noun
a refusal to talk or listen to someone; abrupt or final dismissal or rebuff.
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Origin of brush-off

1945–50, Americanism; noun use of verb phrase brush off

Words nearby brush-off

brush flower, brush-footed butterfly, brushland, brushless, brushmark, brush-off, brush-on, brush pass, brushpopper, brush-tailed phalanger, brush-tailed possum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to brush-off

elimination, exclusion, repudiation, veto, affront, rejection, snub, action, conflict, contest, encounter, engagement, fight, fray, shootout, skirmish, struggle, war, warfare, disapproval

How to use brush-off in a sentence

  • Of course, when I sounded them out, they gave me a kindly brush-off: The matter was out of the their hands.

    A Matter of Proportion|Anne Walker

  • For any officer to brush-off a forthright request for aid or advice under such circumstances is an unofficerly act.

    The Armed Forces Officer|U. S. Department of Defense

  • I finally gave Comrade Snyder the complete brush-off, and I must say he took it very nicely.

    Sentiment, Inc.|Poul William Anderson

British Dictionary definitions for brush-off

brush off
/ slang /
verb (tr, adverb)
to dismiss and ignore (a person), esp curtly
noun brushoff
an abrupt dismissal or rejection
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 Idioms and Phrases with brush-off

brush off

Dismiss or rebuff, as in Roberta brushed off the poor reviews with a shrug, or You can't brush off a boyfriend and expect him to do you a favor. This expression, transferring sweeping off crumbs to a curt dismissal, was first recorded about 1820. However, it became common usage only in the 1930s. Also see give someone the air (brush off).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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