toothbrush

American  

[tooth-bruhsh] / ˈtuθˌbrʌʃ /

noun

• toothbrushes
  plural

1. a small brush with a long handle, for cleaning the teeth.

---

toothbrush British  

/ ˈtuːθˌbrʌʃ /

noun

1. a small brush, usually with a long handle, for cleaning the teeth

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• toothbrushes
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of toothbrush

First recorded in 1645–55; tooth + brush ¹

---

Explanation

When you clean your teeth, you use a toothbrush. Most toothbrushes are made of plastic, with soft bristles at one end for scrubbing your teeth. Before the modern toothbrush was invented, people used things like sticks, feathers, bones, and porcupine quills to clean their teeth. Twigs with frayed ends, called "chew sticks," were the toothbrush's precursor, and they are still used in various parts of the world. The earliest toothbrushes were invented in China, and the first patent was awarded in 1857 in the U.S. for a toothbrush with a bone handle and boar's hair bristles.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

toothbrush toothbrushes

While speaking to The Cut in 2025, Ortega recalled going through belongings at the property when she discovered an old toothbrush that had belonged to an ex.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

Dyson’s new CameraJet smart toothbrush is having a “component issue.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Adults build little accommodations for themselves all day long; we put the pills beside the toothbrush, buy the pre-cut fruit, turn on a podcast to make folding laundry bearable.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

It’s not even like there’s a huge market of people lining up for a $500 toothbrush, or a dishwasher whose retail price hasn’t even been officially announced yet.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

"Have you ever used a toothbrush and toothpaste before?" she asks.

From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman

Janice Sedgwick, a volunteer at the charity's Guildford branch, said needed items were things like "toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, sanitary pads and laundry detergent".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

He tried golf, was terrible at it, hated it, and went back to work manufacturing $5 electric toothbrushes because he found it more engaging than the golf course.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

A global oral-care industry worth roughly $40 billion a year is promoting new products such as smart toothbrushes connected to an app and more natural toothpaste ingredients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Volunteers organized the supplies — toothbrushes, baby wipes, instant soup and many other items — and loaded them into boxes, drawing hearts on the outside with magic marker.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

I don’t touch Nadia’s hair stuff, but just to tease her I put the eyeliners in the cup where the toothbrushes live.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• broom

---