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:
More than 900 firefighters were tackling the blaze, using fire engines, helicopters and bulldozers, in an effort to clear the tinder-dry brush.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
And is he financially literate, or does he need to brush up on the basics, too?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Asked why Edison let brush grow below the idle line, Dunleavy said, “We inspect and maintain all our equipment according to existing regulations and laws.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
But he ultimately answers to the country’s autocratic supreme leader, who can afford to brush off at least some amount of public unhappiness.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
I wander toward the fire, digging through brush, looking for sticks to skewer the meat.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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
Daniele Garner brushes a yak at the Pettee Ranch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
As I’m trying to steady my breath, something soft brushes against my fingers.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
They brushed off her concerns, she said, citing Maisa’s good grades, verbal sophistication and empathy as evidence that she couldn’t be autistic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
"We don't want anything brushed under the carpet."
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Ackman, with Israel, brushed aside worries around a stablecoin threat, saying crypto is growing in places where cards aren’t incumbent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
The smell hits first, garlic and char on skewered meat, chiles brushed over buns, oyster sauce mingling with the syrupy edge of black vinegar on sizzling noodles.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
So Anastasia picked up her hairbrush again, brushed Sam's curls carefully five times, and patted him on his behind fondly.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
“I don’t go that deep,” he says, brushing it aside when asked whether there are certain questions he’s trying to answer about being human.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 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
Among the more effective preventive measures owners can take to protect dogs as they age is regular brushing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
“He means it for a toothpick,” said Mal, brushing her fringe from her eyes and sitting up.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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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