Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense brushes, present participle brushing, past tense, past participle brushed
1. countable noun
A brush is an object which has a large number of bristles or hairs fixed to it. You use brushesfor painting, for cleaning things, and for tidying your hair.
We gave him paint and brushes.
Stains are removed with buckets of soapy water and scrubbing brushes.
...a hair brush.
2. verb
If you brush something or brush something such as dirt off it, you clean it or tidy it using a brush.
Have you brushed your teeth? [VERB noun]
She brushed the powder out of her hair. [VERB noun preposition]
Using a small brush, he brushed away the fine sawdust. [VERB noun with adverb]
Synonyms: clean, wash, polish, scrub More Synonyms of brush
Brush is also a noun.
I gave it a quick brush with my hairbrush.
3. verb
If you brush something with a liquid, you apply a layer of that liquid using a brush.
Take a sheet of filo pastry and brush it with melted butter. [VERB noun + with]
4. verb
If you brush something somewhere, you remove it with quick light movements of your hands.
He brushed his hair back with both hands. [VERB noun with adverb]
She brushed away tears as she spoke of him. [VERB noun with adverb]
He brushed the snow off the windshield. [VERB noun preposition]
5. verb
If one thing brushesagainst another or if you brush one thing against another, the first thing touches the second thing lightly while passing it.
Something brushed against her leg. [VERB preposition]
I felt her dark brown hair brushing the back of my shoulder. [VERB noun]
She knelt and brushed her lips softly across Michael's cheek. [VERB noun preposition]
Synonyms: touch, come into contact with, sweep, kiss More Synonyms of brush
6. verb
If you brush past someone or brushby them, you almost touch them as you go past them.
[written]
My father would burst into the kitchen, brushing past my mother. [VERB preposition/adverb]
He brushed by with a perfunctory wave to the crowd. [VERB preposition/adverb]
7. countable noun
If you have a brushwith someone, you have an argument or disagreement with them. You use brush when you want to make an argument or disagreement sound less serious than it really is.
[vagueness]
My first brush with a headmaster came six years ago. [+ with]
It is his third brush with the law in less than a year. [+ with]
Synonyms: conflict, fight, clash, set-to [informal] More Synonyms of brush
8. countable noun
If you have a brushwith a particular situation, usually an unpleasant one, you almost experience it.
...the trauma of a brush with death. [+ with]
The corporation is fighting to survive its second brush with bankruptcy. [+ with]
Synonyms: encounter, meeting, confrontation, rendezvous More Synonyms of brush
9. uncountable noun
Brush is an area of rough open land covered with small bushes and trees. You also use brush to refer to the bushes and trees on this land.
...the brush fire that destroyed nearly 500 acres.
...a meadow of low brush and grass.
Synonyms: shrubs, bushes, scrub, underwood More Synonyms of brush
10. See also broad-brush, nail brush
11. tarred with the same brush
Phrasal verbs:
See brush aside
See brush off
See brush up
More Synonyms of brush
brush in British English1
(brʌʃ)
noun
1.
a device made of bristles, hairs, wires, etc, set into a firm back or handle: used to apply paint, clean or polish surfaces, groom the hair, etc
2.
the act or an instance of brushing
3.
a light stroke made in passing; graze
4.
a brief encounter or contact, esp an unfriendly one; skirmish
5.
the bushy tail of a fox, often kept as a trophy after a hunt, or of certain breeds of dog
6.
an electric conductor, esp one made of carbon, that conveys current between stationary and rotating parts of a generator, motor, etc
7.
a dark brush-shaped region observed when a biaxial crystal is viewed through a microscope, caused by interference between beams of polarized light
verb
8. (transitive)
to clean, polish, scrub, paint, etc, with a brush
9. (transitive)
to apply or remove with a brush or brushing movement
brush the crumbs off the table
10. (transitive)
to touch lightly and briefly
11. (intransitive)
to move so as to graze or touch something lightly
Derived forms
brusher (ˈbrusher)
noun
brushlike (ˈbrushˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old French broisse, perhaps from brocebrush2
brush in British English2
(brʌʃ)
noun
1.
a thick growth of shrubs and small trees; scrub
2.
land covered with scrub
3.
broken or cut branches or twigs; brushwood
4.
wooded sparsely populated country; backwoods
Word origin
C16 (dense undergrowth), C14 (cuttings of trees): from Old French broce, from Vulgar Latin bruscia (unattested) brushwood
brush in American English1
(brʌʃ)
noun
1.
brushwood
2. US
sparsely settled country, covered with wild scrub growth
3.
a.
a device having bristles, hairs, or wires fastened into a hard back, with or without a handle attached: brushes are used for cleaning,polishing, painting, smoothing the hair, etc.
b.
a device of wires attached in a fanlike spread to a handle, used as on drums or cymbals for a swishing or muted effect
4.
the act of brushing
5.
a light, grazing stroke
a brush of the hand
6.
brushwork
7.
a bushy tail, esp. that of a fox
8. US, Slang
brushoff
9. Electricity
a.
a piece, plate, rod, or bundle of carbon, copper, etc. used as a conductor between an external circuit and a revolving part, as in a motor
b.
brush discharge
verb transitive
10.
to use a brush on; clean, polish, paint, smooth, etc. with a brush
11.
to apply, spread, remove, etc. with a stroke or strokes as of a brush
12.
to go over lightly, as with a brush
13.
to touch or graze in passing
verb intransitive
14.
to move so as to push lightly aside, skim, or graze past something
Idioms:
brush aside
brush off
brush up
Word origin
ME brushe < OFr broce, brosse, bush, brushwood < VL *bruscia < Gmc *bruskaz, underbrush: for IE base see breast
brush in American English2
(brʌʃ)
verb intransitive
1.
to hurry
noun
2.
a short, quick fight, skirmish, etc.
a brush with the law
Word origin
ME bruschen, rush < ? OFr brosser, to travel (? through woods), beat underbrush for game: see brush1
More idioms containing
brush
daft as a brush
tar someone with the same brush
Examples of 'brush' in a sentence
brush
They wait until an animal or person brushes past then climb on and bite the skin.
The Sun (2016)
Use an angled brush for a soft feathery finish.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You have to brush away the disappointment.
The Sun (2016)
Then he helped me to bed and sat brushing my hair.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Both managers then stormed out, brushing shoulders on the way.
The Sun (2016)
Lightly brush with 2 tbsp of ghee and serve hot.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I leave them to dry before cleaning the brush and applying a second colour.
The Sun (2016)
If you aren't experienced, a paint brush is also easier to control than a roller.
The Sun (2016)
From his love life to his brushes with death, this is a chance to see another side to the bloke behind Brexit.
The Sun (2017)
Then I use a small brush for detail work, such as concealer.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Put it on some foil lightly brushed with olive oil and place on a baking tray.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Will unwelcome droplets of dew drip down your back if you brush too close to the plants?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The doctors are gently brushing something from his face.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Then dampen a lip brush and apply all over your pout for a subtle colour.
The Sun (2014)
Use an angled brush and fill in gaps to define and shape.
The Sun (2015)
Then came his third brush with death.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Lots of them picked up paint brushes and gave us a hand.
The Sun (2009)
You can only brush sand away on the green.
The Sun (2012)
Other brands of skin brushes are also generally available from most health stores.
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley Stay Well This Winter (1989)
Use a stiff brush to scrub the potatoes clean.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
When a horse brushed against his leg he almost fainted.
The Sun (2011)
What other brushes with the law have you suffered?
The Sun (2012)
The tall teenage son brushed his hair on the edge of the straw roof as he passed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Such is the lightest brush of life on the exterior.
Richard Fortey THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)
Once the horse is dry brush him over with a clean body brush.
Eccles, Lesley Your First Horse - buying, feeding, caring (1989)
Lightly beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the tops of the biscuits.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It spread like a brush fire.
Christianity Today (2000)
And the Norwegian international said he knew instantly he was brushing shoulders with future world superstars.
The Sun (2013)
It's dispensed through a brush and looks almost like a new layer of radiant skin has been painted on.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Word lists with
brush
Art equipment
In other languages
brush
British English: brush /brʌʃ/ NOUN
A brush is an object with a large number of bristles fixed to it. You use brushes for painting, for cleaning things, and for tidying your hair.
...a hair brush.
American English: brush
Arabic: فُرْشَاة
Brazilian Portuguese: escova
Chinese: 刷子
Croatian: četka
Czech: kartáč
Danish: børste
Dutch: borstel
European Spanish: cepillo zapatos
Finnish: harja
French: brosse peigne
German: Bürste
Greek: βούρτσα
Italian: spazzola
Japanese: ブラシ
Korean: 솔
Norwegian: børste
Polish: szczotka
European Portuguese: escova
Romanian: perie
Russian: щетка
Latin American Spanish: cepillo
Swedish: borste
Thai: ไม้แปรง
Turkish: fırça
Ukrainian: пензель
Vietnamese: bàn chải
British English: brush /brʌʃ/ VERB
If you brush something or brush something such as dirt off it, you clean it or tidy it using a brush.
Have you brushed your teeth?
American English: brush
Arabic: يُنَظِّف بالفُرْشاة
Brazilian Portuguese: escovar
Chinese: 刷
Croatian: četkati
Czech: kartáčovat
Danish: børste
Dutch: borstelen
European Spanish: cepillar
Finnish: harjata
French: brosser
German: bürsten
Greek: βουρτσίζω
Italian: spazzolare
Japanese: ブラシをかける
Korean: 솔질하다
Norwegian: børste
Polish: wyszczotkować
European Portuguese: escovar
Romanian: a peria
Russian: чистить щеткой
Latin American Spanish: cepillar
Swedish: borsta
Thai: แปรง
Turkish: fırçalamak
Ukrainian: чистити
Vietnamese: chải
All related terms of 'brush'
brush cut
→ crew cut
brush off
If someone brushes you off when you speak to them, they refuse to talk to you or be nice to you.
brush up
If you brush up something or brush up on it, you practise it or improve your knowledge of it.
broad-brush
A broad-brush approach , strategy , or solution deals with a problem in a general way rather than concentrating on details .
brush aside
If you brush aside or brush away an idea , remark , or feeling , you refuse to consider it because you think it is not important or useful , even though it may be.
brush fire
a fire in brushwood
brush maker
a manufacturer or crafter of brushes
dandy-brush
a stiff brush used for grooming a horse
flue brush
a brush used for cleaning soot from chimneys
nail brush
A nail brush is a small brush that you use to clean your nails when washing your hands .
scrub brush
a handheld brush with short stiff bristles , used esp for scrubbing floors
wire brush
a brush having wire bristles , used for cleaning metal, esp for removing rust , or for brushing against a cymbal
bristle brush
a brush made with animal bristles
brush border
a layer of tightly packed minute finger-like protuberances on cells that line absorptive surfaces, such as those of the intestine and kidney
brush flower
a flower or inflorescence with numerous long stamens , usually pollinated by birds or bats
brush turkey
any of several gallinaceous birds, esp Alectura lathami , of New Guinea and Australia, having a black plumage : family Megapodidae ( megapodes )
carbon brush
a small block of carbon used to convey current between the stationary and moving parts of an electric generator , motor , etc
clothes brush
a brush used to remove dust , fluff , dirt , etc from clothes
pastry brush
a small brush used for painting pastry with beaten egg , milk etc
shaving brush
a small brush used to apply soap or cream to the face or body when removing hair with a razor
styling brush
a hairbrush used to style or neaten hair
brush discharge
a slightly luminous electrical discharge between points of high charge density when the charge density is insufficient to cause a spark or around sharp points on a highly charged conductor because of ionization of air molecules in their vicinity
scrubbing brush
a handheld brush with short stiff bristles , used esp for scrubbing floors
interdental brush
a small brush that is used to clean between the teeth
camel's-hair brush
an artist's small brush , made of hair from a squirrel's tail
daft as a brush
very silly or stupid
airbrush
An airbrush is an artist's tool which sprays paint onto a surface.
brush-tailed possum
any of several widely-distributed Australian possums of the genus Trichosurus
paintbrush
A paintbrush is a brush which you use for painting .
brush-tailed phalanger
a flying phalanger , Phascogale tapoatafa , of Australia. It is about the size of a rat , bluish grey in colour, brush-tailed, arboreal , and nocturnal
brush-tailed phascogale
a flying phalanger , Phascogale tapoatafa , of Australia. It is about the size of a rat , bluish grey in colour, brush-tailed, arboreal , and nocturnal
brushstroke
Brushstrokes are the marks made on a surface by a painter's brush.
talegalla
a member of a genus of megapod birds native to Indonesia , Papua New Guinea and Australia
tarred with the same brush
If some people in a group behave badly and if people then wrongly think that all of the group is equally bad , you can say that the whole group is tarred with the same brush .
tar someone with the same brush
to assume that someone behaves as badly as other people in a particular group
phascogale
a flying phalanger , Phascogale tapoatafa , of Australia. It is about the size of a rat , bluish grey in colour, brush-tailed, arboreal , and nocturnal
tuan
(in Malay-speaking countries) sir; lord : a form of address used as a mark of respect
wambenger
a flying phalanger , Phascogale tapoatafa , of Australia. It is about the size of a rat , bluish grey in colour, brush-tailed, arboreal , and nocturnal
Chinese translation of 'brush'
brush
(brʌʃ)
n(c)
(= tool)
(for cleaning, for decorating) 刷子 (shuāzi) (把, bǎ)