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:
Thomas wishes to transcend such political line-drawing, just as he wishes to brush aside the troubles of his absent son.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
An outer buffer that slows wildfires by thinning trees, clearing dead brush, and breaking up continuous vegetation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Although the influence is clear, it would be unfair to paint Vitor with a Klopp-shaped brush entirely.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
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
She was sitting on the floor barefoot, and she was painting her toenails bright red, using a tiny brush that went into a little bottle.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
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
Nvidia’s statement concedes that “once released, the weights are beyond the original developer’s control, and modified versions are difficult to trace or reverse”—then brushes this concern aside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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
Father brushes away his tears and stands close to my brothers and me.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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
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
Beijing and Washington have brushed off those tech leaders’ calls, albeit for very different reasons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
A few drivers brushed the wall, including Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, but no-one damaged their car.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
A light breeze brushed my thighs, bringing up gooseflesh that I feared were as visible as hives.
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
Dyson this week unveiled an AI-powered toothbrush that it says provides a complete brushing, precision-flossing and mouth-rinsing routine at once.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Moments after Manchester City had put down their first heavyweight marker of the post-Pep Guardiola era by brushing aside Crystal Palace, he was asked live on TV how much he enjoyed the game.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ten tackles a game last season became as routine as brushing his teeth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
I asked the man, brushing a pixie from my nose.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Vocabulary lists containing brush
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