brush

[ bruhsh ]

/ brʌʃ /

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noun

an implement consisting of bristles, hair, or the like, set in or attached to a handle, used for painting, cleaning, polishing, grooming, etc.

one of a pair of devices consisting of long, thin handles with wire bristles attached, used in jazz or dance bands for keeping a soft, rhythmic beat on the trap drums or the cymbals.

the bushy tail of an animal, especially of a fox.

Electricity.

a conductor, often made of carbon or copper or a combination of the two, serving to maintain electric contact between stationary and moving parts of a machine, generator, or other apparatus.
brush discharge.

a feathery or hairy tuft or tassel, as on the tip of a kernel of grain or on a man's hat.

an act or instance of brushing; application of a brush.

a light, stroking touch.

a brief conflict or fight; skirmish: He has already had one brush with the law.

a close approach, especially to something undesirable or harmful: a brush with disaster.

verb (used with object)

to sweep, paint, clean, polish, etc., with a brush.

to touch lightly in passing; pass lightly over: His lips brushed her ear.

to remove by brushing or by lightly passing over: His hand brushed a speck of lint from his coat.

verb (used without object)

to move or skim with a slight contact.

Verb Phrases

brush aside, to disregard; ignore: Our complaints were simply brushed aside.

brush off, to rebuff; send away: She had never been brushed off so rudely before.

brush up on, to revive, review, or resume (studies, a skill, etc.): She's thinking of brushing up on her tennis.Also brush up.

OTHER WORDS FOR brush

8 engagement, action, encounter.

See synonyms for brush on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

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Idioms about brush

get the brush, to be rejected or rebuffed: She greeted Jim effusively, but I got the brush.

give the brush, to ignore, rebuff, etc.: If you're still angry with him, give him the brush.

Origin of brush

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun brushe, broche, brosc, probably to be identified with brush², if the original sense was “implement made from twigs, etc., culled from brushwood”; Middle English verb brushen “to hasten, rush,” probably from Old French brosser “to travel (through brush),” derivative of broce (see brush²)

OTHER WORDS FROM brush

brush·a·ble, adjectivebrusher, nounbrushlike, adjectiveun·brush·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby brush

Brunswick, Brunswick stew, brunt, Brusa, bruschetta, brush, brush aside, brushback, brush biopsy, brush border, brush broom

Other definitions for brush (2 of 3)

brush²

[ bruhsh ]

/ brʌʃ /

noun

a dense growth of bushes, shrubs, etc.; scrub; thicket.

a pile or covering of lopped or broken branches; brushwood.

bushes and low trees growing in thick profusion, especially close to the ground.

Also called brushland . land or an area covered with thickly growing bushes and low trees.

backwoods; a sparsely settled wooded region.

Origin of brush

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English brushe, bro(c)che “brushwood, thicket”; from Middle French broisse, Old French broce “underbrush” (compare Anglo-French brousson “wood,” brusseie “heath”), perhaps from unattested Vulgar Latin bruscia “excrescences,” derivative of Latin bruscum “knot or excrescence on a maple tree”; cf. brush¹

OTHER WORDS FROM brush

brush·i·ness, noun

Other definitions for brush (3 of 3)

Brush

[ bruhsh ]

/ brʌʃ /

noun

Katharine, 1902–52, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say brush?

A brush is a brief encounter or skirmish. How does brush compare to struggle and clash? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

How to use brush in a sentence

At issue is a change the utility made to the amount of trees and other brush it clears around utility poles and power lines, especially in high fire-risk areas.
Watchdog Warns: SDG&E’s Tree-Trimming Plan Could Worsen Wildfires|MacKenzie Elmer|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The researchers then used a brush and “painted” virus onto animals that had been infected and were now immune.
Dust can infect animals with flu, raising coronavirus concerns|Erin Garcia de Jesus|August 24, 2020|Science News For Students
The easements would effectively be a legal agreement that would allow the developer to ensure that flammable brush on private property near Lilac Hills Ranch was managed safely.
The Burning Question Surrounding the Latest Version of Lilac Hills Ranch|Maya Srikrishnan|June 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
That was comparable to another set of three similar trees pollinated by hand with a standard pollen brush.
Bubble-blowing drones may one day aid artificial pollination|Maria Temming|June 22, 2020|Science News

Short dogs have to work too hard just to break through the brush, she says.
Conservation is going to the dogs|Alison Pearce Stevens|April 2, 2020|Science News For Students
But just up the steep river bank and through the brush is an opening.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Before this latest brush with the law, the rapper was facing pot-bust and unrelated gun charges.
Rapper Bobby Shmurda Arrested at New York’s Notorious Quad Studios|M.L. Nestel|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was starting to look like Cosby might not brush this scandal off.
How the World Turned on Bill Cosby: A Day-by-Day Account|Scott Porch|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, place on a sheet pan, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We squatted in the long grass and buck-brush, listening, and a few seconds later heard a horse snort distinctly.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Her success increased her confidence in herself and enhanced the boldness and freedom with which she handled her brush.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
Two or three small parties of guerrillas had been sighted, but they took to the brush at the sight of the Federals.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Grandfather Mole felt it brush his back as it swept into place again.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Near noon I found a place where they'd cached two extra horses in the brush on Sage Creek.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for brush (1 of 2)

brush¹

/ (brʌʃ) /

noun

a device made of bristles, hairs, wires, etc, set into a firm back or handle: used to apply paint, clean or polish surfaces, groom the hair, etc

the act or an instance of brushing

a light stroke made in passing; graze

a brief encounter or contact, esp an unfriendly one; skirmish

the bushy tail of a fox, often kept as a trophy after a hunt, or of certain breeds of dog

an electric conductor, esp one made of carbon, that conveys current between stationary and rotating parts of a generator, motor, etc

a dark brush-shaped region observed when a biaxial crystal is viewed through a microscope, caused by interference between beams of polarized light

verb

(tr) to clean, polish, scrub, paint, etc, with a brush

(tr) to apply or remove with a brush or brushing movementbrush the crumbs off the table

(tr) to touch lightly and briefly

(intr) to move so as to graze or touch something lightly

See also brush aside, brush off, brush up

Derived forms of brush

brusher, nounbrushlike, adjective

Word Origin for brush

C14: from Old French broisse, perhaps from broce brush ²

British Dictionary definitions for brush (2 of 2)

brush²

/ (brʌʃ) /

noun

a thick growth of shrubs and small trees; scrub

land covered with scrub

broken or cut branches or twigs; brushwood

wooded sparsely populated country; backwoods

Word Origin for brush

C16 (dense undergrowth), C14 (cuttings of trees): from Old French broce, from Vulgar Latin bruscia (unattested) brushwood

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

brush

In addition to the idioms beginning with brush

brush aside
brush off
brush up

also see:

give someone the air (brush off)
have a brush with
tarred with the same brush

brush

OTHER WORDS FOR brush

Idioms about brush

Origin of brush

OTHER WORDS FROM brush

Words nearby brush

Other definitions for brush (2 of 3)

Origin of brush

OTHER WORDS FROM brush

Other definitions for brush (3 of 3)

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say brush?

Words related to brush

How to use brush in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brush (1 of 2)

Derived forms of brush

Word Origin for brush

British Dictionary definitions for brush (2 of 2)

Word Origin for brush

Other Idioms and Phrases with brush