Advertisement
Advertisement
brush
1[bruhsh]
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.
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.
Synonyms: , ,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 phrase
to revive, review, or resume (studies, a skill, etc.): Also brush up.
She's thinking of brushing up on her tennis.
to rebuff; send away.
She had never been brushed off so rudely before.
to disregard; ignore.
Our complaints were simply brushed aside.
brush
2[bruhsh]
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.
Brush
3[bruhsh]
noun
Katharine, 1902–52, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
brush
1/ ʌʃ /
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 movement
brush the crumbs off the table
(tr) to touch lightly and briefly
(intr) to move so as to graze or touch something lightly
brush
2/ ʌʃ /
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
Other Word Forms
- brushable adjective
- brusher noun
- brushlike adjective
- unbrushable adjective
- brushiness noun
- ˈܲ noun
- ˈܲˌ adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of brush1
Origin of brush2
Word History and Origins
Origin of brush1
Origin of brush2
Idioms and Phrases
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.
Example Sentences
She stirs spirits with the barely heard whooshes of drum brushes waved in the air.
For a man who was so paranoid that he reportedly refused to brush his teeth or shower for fear blood would gush from the faucet, it was a night-and-day change.
Firefighters made progress battling a wind-driven brush fire burning in steep, rugged terrain south of Apple Valley overnight.
A brush fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in Burbank, prompting evacuations among neighborhoods at the base of the foothills.
“In the paintings and drawings of this chamber of horrors, there is no telling what was in the sick brains of those who wielded the brush or the pencil,” the catalog explained.
Advertisement
When To Use
A brush is a brief encounter or skirmish. How does brush compare to struggle and clash? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse