have a brush with

Idioms  

1. Have an encounter or come in conflict with, as in This was not the first time that Bob had a brush with the law. This expression alludes to the noun brush in the sense of “a hostile collision,” a usage dating from about 1400.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

have a brush with

For many users who have a brush with the law, court-mandated treatment and the threat of worse outcomes in the future are enough to set them on the right track.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2023

It can be awe-inspiring for a young player to have a brush with a famous college coach, such as when Edge met Penn State Coach James Franklin at a camp.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2019

"When you have a brush with death, you can approach it two ways," notes a Disney executive.

From Time Magazine Archive

But, I must own, from the junction of five Spanish ships and frigates, I now think, something more than going into Toulon is intended, and that your Lordship may have a brush with them.

From The Letters of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, Vol II. With A Supplement Of Interesting Letters By Distinguished Characters by Horatio Nelson

We were also watched by a fleet of men-of-war junks, and had some reason to suppose that we might have a brush with them.

From The Lieutenant and Commander Being Autobigraphical Sketches of His Own Career, from Fragments of Voyages and Travels by Basil Hall