brush up

British  

verb

1. to refresh one's knowledge, skill, or memory of (a subject)

2. to make (a person or oneself) tidy, clean, or neat as after a journey

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noun

1. the act or an instance of tidying one's appearance (esp in the phrase wash and brush-up )

brush up Idioms  

1. Clean, refurbish, as in We plan to get the house brushed up in time for the party . [c. 1600]

2. Also, brush up on . Review, refresh one's memory, as in Nell brushed up on her Spanish before going to Honduras , or I'm brushing up my knowledge of town history before I speak at the club . [Late 1700s]

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Example Sentences

Biathlon fans brush up your Italian -- but also your German, for the events this Winter Olympics will be in South Tyrol in Italy, an autonomous province bordering Austria and Switzerland.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

Keenan, 24, re-watched parts of season two to brush up on the region’s geopolitics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026

There’s not a lot of lawyers practicing law, as you and I think of it, who actually ever brush up against the prerogative state.

From Slate • May 27, 2025

They've also begun to brush up on their Mandarin skills too.

From Salon • Jan. 16, 2025

“First thing I did was brush up on all the contemporary music. It’s so exciting, all the new music.”

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie