brandish
verb (used with object)
to shake or wave, as a weapon; flourish.
was brandishing
-
past progressiveof brandish.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti was shot because he was "brandishing" a gun.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
Tunney and others quickly “put two and two together,” though, when they noticed that this black-and-orange-bedecked patron was brandishing a commemorative football.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2023
It burnished Sandberg’s own progressive reputation, one that paired well with the one she was brandishing for Facebook, known as it was as a magnet for whiz kids and a force for connection and difference-bridging.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2022
He was brandishing an envelope with the speaker’s letterhead.
From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2021
But by the time we were trundling past The Coffee Pot Cafe and Uncle Grady was brandishing his sword, the applause began.
From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck
