brush

brush ¹  (brsh)

n.

1.

a. A device consisting of bristles fastened into a handle, used in scrubbing, polishing, or painting.

b. The act of using this device.

2. A light touch in passing; a graze.

3. An instance of contact with something undesirable or dangerous: a brush with the law; a brush with death.

4. A bushy tail: the brush of a fox.

5. A sliding connection completing a circuit between a fixed and a moving conductor.

6. A snub; a brushoff.

v. brushed, brush·ing, brush·es

v.tr.

1.

a. To clean, polish, or groom with a brush.

b. To apply with or as if with motions of a brush.

c. To remove with or as if with motions of a brush.

2. To dismiss abruptly or curtly: brushed the matter aside; brushed an old friend off.

3. To touch lightly in passing; graze against.

v.intr.

1. To use or apply a brush.

2. To move past something so as to touch it lightly.

Phrasal Verbs:

brush back Baseball

To force (a batter) to move away from the plate by throwing an inside pitch.

brush up

1. To refresh one's memory.

2. To renew a skill.

---

[Middle English brusshe, from Old French brosse, brushwood, brush; see brush².]

---

brusher n.

brushy adj.

Synonyms: brush¹, flick¹, glance¹, graze², shave, skim
These verbs mean to make light contact with something in passing: Her arm brushed mine. I flicked the paper with my finger. The arrow glanced off the tree. The knife blade grazed the countertop. A taxi shaved the curb. The oar skims the pond's surface.

---

brush ¹

Noun

1. a device made of bristles, hairs, wires, etc. set into a firm back or handle: used to apply paint, groom the hair, etc.

2. the act of brushing

3. a brief encounter, esp. an unfriendly one

4. the bushy tail of a fox

5. an electric conductor, esp. one made of carbon, that conveys current between stationary and rotating parts of a generator, motor, etc.

Verb

1. to clean, scrub, or paint with a brush

2. to apply or remove with a brush or brushing movement

3. to touch lightly and briefly

See also brush aside, brush off, brush up [Old French broisse]

---

brush ²

Noun

a thick growth of shrubs and small trees; scrub [Old French broce]

---

Brush a bundle of light rays; the loppings of trees and hedges, 1330; a faggot or bavin of brushwood, 1690; a thicket of small growing trees or shrubs, 1553.

Examples: brush of rosemary, hyssop, fennel or other herbs, 1609; of light rays, 1817.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	brush - a dense growth of bushes coppice, copse, thicket, brushwood botany, flora, vegetation - all the plant life in a particular region or period; "Pleistocene vegetation"; "the flora of southern California"; "the botany of China" brake - an area thickly overgrown usually with one kind of plant canebrake - a dense growth of cane (especially giant cane) spinney - a copse that shelters game underbrush, undergrowth, underwood - the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
	2.	brush - an implement that has hairs or bristles firmly set into a handle bottlebrush - a cylindrical brush on a thin shaft that is used to clean bottles bristle - a stiff fiber (coarse hair or filament); natural or synthetic bristle brush - a brush that is made with the short stiff hairs of an animal or plant clothesbrush - a brush used for cleaning clothing hairbrush - a brush used to groom a person's hair handgrip, handle, grip, hold - the appendage to an object that is designed to be held in order to use or move it; "he grabbed the hammer by the handle"; "it was an old briefcase but it still had a good grip" implement - instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end nailbrush - a brush used to clean a person's fingernails paintbrush - a brush used as an applicator (to apply paint) sable, sable brush, sable's hair pencil - an artist's brush made of sable hairs scrub brush, scrubbing brush, scrubber - a brush with short stiff bristles for heavy cleaning shaving brush - a brush used to apply lather prior to shaving toothbrush - small brush; has long handle; used to clean teeth
	3.	brush - momentary contact light touch touch, touching - the event of something coming in contact with the body; "he longed for the touch of her hand"; "the cooling touch of the night air"
	4.	brush - conducts current between rotating and stationary parts of a generator or motor electrical device - a device that produces or is powered by electricity electric motor - a motor that converts electricity to mechanical work generator - engine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by electromagnetic induction
	5.	brush - a bushy tail or part of a bushy tail (especially of the fox) tail - the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
	6.	brush - a minor short-term fight encounter, skirmish, clash contretemps - an awkward clash; "he tried to smooth over his contretemps with the policeman" fighting, combat, fight, scrap - the act of fighting; any contest or struggle; "a fight broke out at the hockey game"; "there was fighting in the streets"; "the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap"
	7.	brush - the act of brushing your teeth; "the dentist recommended two brushes a day" brushing dental care - care for the teeth
	8.	brush - the act of brushing your hair; "he gave his hair a quick brush" brushing hair care, haircare, hairdressing - care for the hair: the activity of washing or cutting or curling or arranging the hair
	9.	brush - contact with something dangerous or undesirable; "I had a brush with danger on my way to work"; "he tried to avoid any brushes with the police" contact - close interaction; "they kept in daily contact"; "they claimed that they had been in contact with extraterrestrial beings"
Verb	1.	brush - rub with a brush, or as if with a brush; "Johnson brushed the hairs from his jacket" rub - move over something with pressure; "rub my hands"; "rub oil into her skin"
	2.	brush - touch lightly and briefly; "He brushed the wall lightly" touch - make physical contact with, come in contact with; "Touch the stone for good luck"; "She never touched her husband" crease, graze, rake - scrape gently; "graze the skin" flick - touch or hit with a light, quick blow; "flicked him with his hand" sweep, brush - sweep across or over; "Her long skirt brushed the floor"; "A gasp swept cross the audience"
	3.	brush - clean with a brush; "She brushed the suit before hanging it back into the closet" brush - remove with or as if with a brush; "brush away the crumbs"; "brush the dust from the jacket"; "brush aside the objections" clean, make clean - make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from; "Clean the stove!"; "The dentist cleaned my teeth"
	4.	brush - sweep across or over; "Her long skirt brushed the floor"; "A gasp swept cross the audience" sweep brush - touch lightly and briefly; "He brushed the wall lightly" move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right" sail, sweep - move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions; "The diva swept into the room"; "Shreds of paper sailed through the air"; "The searchlights swept across the sky"
	5.	brush - remove with or as if with a brush; "brush away the crumbs"; "brush the dust from the jacket"; "brush aside the objections" remove, take away, withdraw, take - remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract; "remove a threat"; "remove a wrapper"; "Remove the dirty dishes from the table"; "take the gun from your pocket"; "This machine withdraws heat from the environment" brush - clean with a brush; "She brushed the suit before hanging it back into the closet"
	6.	brush - cover by brushing; "brush the bread with melted butter" cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"

---

brush ¹

noun 1. broom, sweeper, besom

noun 2. conflict, fight, clash, set-to (informal) scrap (informal) confrontation, skirmish, tussle, fracas, spot of bother (informal) slight engagement

noun 3. encounter, meeting, confrontation, rendezvous

verb 4. clean, wash, polish, buff

verb 5. touch, come into contact with, sweep, kiss, stroke, glance, flick, scrape, graze, caress

brush someone off (Slang) ignore, cut, reject, dismiss, slight, blank (slang) put down, snub, disregard, scorn, disdain, spurn, rebuff, repudiate, disown, cold-shoulder, kiss off (slang), chiefly U.S., Canad. send to Coventry

brush something aside dismiss, ignore, discount, override, disregard, sweep aside, have no time for, kiss off (slang), chiefly U.S., Canad.

brush something up or brush up on something revise, study, go over, cram, polish up, read up on, relearn, bone up on (informal) refresh your memory

---

brush ²

noun shrubs, bushes, scrub, underwood, undergrowth, thicket, copse, brushwood

Translations

brush [brʌʃ] n → cepillo, escobilla (LAM);

(large) → escoba;

(for painting, shaving etc) → brocha;

(artist's) → pincel m;

(BOT) → maleza

vt → cepillar;

(gen): brush past, brush against → rozar al pasar;

to have a brush with the police → tener un roce con la policía

brush aside vt → rechazar, no hacer caso a

brush up vt [+ knowledge] → repasar, refrescar

---

brush [brʌʃ] n → brosse f;

(for painting) → pinceau m;

(for shaving) → blaireau m (= quarrel); accrochage m, prise f de bec

vt → brosser;

(also: brush past) (also: brush against) → effleurer, frôler;

to have a brush with sb → s'accrocher avec qn;

to have a brush with the police → avoir maille à partir avec la police

brush aside vt → écarter, balayer

brush up vt [+ knowledge] → rafraîchir, réviser

---

brush [brʌʃ] n → Bürste f;

(for painting, shaving etc) → Pinsel m;

(quarrel) → Auseinandersetzung f

vt → fegen;

(groom) → bürsten;

(teeth) → putzen;

(also: brush against) → streifen;

to have a brush with sb (verbally) → sich mit jdm streiten;

(physically) → mit jdm aneinandergeraten;

to have a brush with the police → mit der Polizei aneinandergeraten

brush aside vt → abtun

brush past vt → streifen

brush up vt → auffrischen

---

brush [brʌʃ] n → spazzola (= quarrel); schermaglia

vt → spazzolare;

(gen) (also: brush past, brush against) → sfiorare;

to have a brush with sb (verbally) → avere uno scontro con qn;

(physically) → venire a diverbio or alle mani con qn;

to have a brush with the police → avere delle noie con la polizia

brush aside vt → scostare

brush up vt [+ knowledge] → rinfrescare