brush off

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.

That gentle brush-off didn't keep Trump from congratulating the couple on Thursday after the birth of their youngest daughter.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025

"I was told that things would be looked into. It was very vague. It was a brush-off."

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2024

“You’re not on the list,” he was told twice by a Troubadour doorman, and given the brush-off.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2023

We don’t know what happened exactly after this brush-off, but it’s clear that Josh didn’t give up because Nyswanderweg—Marie Nyswander Way—exists in Hamburg today.

From Scientific American • Jun. 1, 2023

Saying good-bye at the end of a visit, Craig would give my dad a final, concerned look and pose the usual question about his health, only to be given the merry brush-off of “I’m fine.”

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama