brush
Usage
What are other ways to say brush?
A brush is a brief encounter or skirmish: a brush with the law. Struggle implies vigorous bodily effort or violent exertion: a hand-to-hand struggle. Clash implies a direct and sharp collision between opposing parties, efforts, interests, etc.: a clash of opinions.
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.
See Examples For:
If you didn’t brush your teeth well enough, you will eventually be paying for that at the dentist!
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
The California Highway Patrol received a call at approximately 8:21 a.m. about a brush fire on the right side of the southbound 405 Freeway at the westbound 101 Freeway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
A brush fire erupted Wednesday afternoon along the 405 Freeway, threatening homes, a university and the Getty Center, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
We’re supposed to deploy the word epic and act like we didn’t brush our teeth and hit the hay after Shelton took the second set.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“You’re a strange little demon,” said Frederick as I came out from the brush.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
After so long on the road, driving past despair dotted along the road’s shoulders, Day brushes off a cry for help with a joke.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
When we wonder about his Ukrainian surname, he brushes that off as irrelevant.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
After collecting the cells, the team removes the material from the brushes and uses forensic-level, next-generation sequencing technologies to isolate and amplify genetic sequences.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Speaking from their home in Tuscaloosa, Ala., apart from Weaver, Allman brushes off such criticism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Zoey brushes me with her bag and dips into the classroom.
From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner
And yet, Anderson’s “Resident Evil” has always been the butt of the joke, brushed off largely because his movies dared to be different when people wanted more of the same.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
For decades, testosterone deficiency was overlooked and under-researched, and, for many men, symptoms were brushed off as natural signs of aging.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2026
Hawaii is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Lala, which brushed past the southern part of the Big Island last month, bringing destructive winds and severe flash floods.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Despite the drama that has ensued since trade talks between the U.S. and its northern neighbor collapsed last Friday, bank CEOs brushed off the potential fallout during earnings calls this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
She flipped it over, brushed it off, and tightened a few screws.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Edison explained structure brushing in an article last year, describing how it cleared all vegetation around certain equipment, creating a 10-foot barrier to reduce the fire risk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
You can also practise standing on one leg, for example while brushing your teeth.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
After initially brushing off LLMs, DeepMind was developing its own chatbots.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Brown-Forman and a group of Brown family shareholders issued a joint statement brushing off Sazerac’s unsolicited proposal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“No offense,” she said, brushing off her paws as Clare prepared himself to be offended.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Vocabulary lists containing brush
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Units 2–3
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Neighborhood Odes
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