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:
A brush fire in the mountains west of Los Angeles prompted evacuation warnings from officials on Thursday, as powerful winds risked spreading the blaze rapidly.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
In those moments, he tried to brush aside the guilt and rationalize what he was doing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said in a statement shortly before 5 p.m. that its crews were responding to a 10-acre brush fire in Gorman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Asked in cross-examination as to why she said nothing happened, the complainant, now an adult, replied that she was "trying to brush it off".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
I brush past her into the house before she has the chance.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The price of James Dyson’s latest invention: a toothbrush that brushes and flosses your teeth at the same time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
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
"Cytology brushes can be used when dry and do an excellent job of harvesting cellular material without damaging the integrity of the artifact being sampled," says Breen.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Dawn Celeste munches chips out of a bag, brushes the crumbs off her cushy chest.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
But almost in unison, they effectively brushed the worries aside, saying competition from higher-rate-seeking money is nothing new.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Mamdani has so far brushed off the discontent from the left.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
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
The 21-year-old, who was in her first year at Cardiff University, believed her sore throat and flu-like symptoms were a hangover and initially "brushed it off".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
She wasn’t that old, but she always dressed in a no-fashion black smock dress that brushed her ankles.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
All 339 Olympic events: The next Olympics is still a couple years away, but it’s not too early to start brushing up on your knowledge of the Summer Games.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
Ten tackles a game last season became as routine as brushing his teeth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
You can also practise standing on one leg, for example while brushing your teeth.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Making a habit of brushing can prevent needing to put an older dog under general anesthesia just so a vet can clean the pet’s teeth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
I nodded, brushing my fingers over my grandparents’ initials as my hands inched toward my phone.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Vocabulary lists containing brush
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Units 2–3
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