brush

[ bruhsh ]

/ brʌʃ /

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 encounter: 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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for 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

1350–1400; (noun) Middle English brusshe, probably to be identified with brush², if orig. sense was implement made from twigs, etc., culled from brushwood; (v.) Middle English brushen to hasten, rush, probably < Old French brosser to travel (through brush), verbal derivative of broce (see brush²)

SYNONYMS FOR brush

8 engagement, action, skirmish. See struggle.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR brush ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM brush

brush·a·ble, adjectivebrush·er, nounbrush·like, adjectiveun·brush·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby brush

brunswick, brunswick stew, brunt, brusa, bruschetta, brush, brush aside, brush biopsy, brush border, brush broom, brush catheter

Definition 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

1350–1400; Middle English brusshe < Middle French broisse, Old French broce underbrush (compare Anglo-French brousson wood, brusseie heath), perhaps < Vulgar Latin *bruscia excrescences, derivative of Latin bruscum knot or excrescence on a maple tree

OTHER WORDS FROM brush

brush·i·ness, noun

Definition 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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for brush

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
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

Brush the packages all over with melted butter, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Count was made supremely happy with the purchase of a holy picture which he declared was from the brush of an old master.
Polly and Her Friends Abroad|Lillian Elizabeth Roy
Don't stop hunting till you find them—they'll duck off in the brush sure.
The Strength of the Pines|Edison Marshall
Apply it warm with a turpentine brush—two or three coats, to cover the cracks or pores left by the brush.
Mrs. Hale's Receipts for the Million|Sarah Josepha Hale
And under Kori's outstretched arm, so close as almost to brush against his uniformed legs, had stolen Thorn.
The Radiant Shell|Paul Ernst
Their progress was slow, and they slept on a bed of brush which had lumps and knots to bruise every soft spot on their bodies.
Dick in the Everglades|A. W. Dimock

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

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

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brush