Definition of 'brush'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense brushes
, present participle brushing
, past tense, past participle brushed
1. countable noun
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]
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
5. verb
If one thing brushes against 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]
6. verb
7. countable noun
If you have a brush with 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]
8. countable noun
If you have a brush with 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]
9. uncountable noun
10. See also broad-brush, nail brush
Phrasal verbs:
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of 'brush'
noun
1.
2.
the act or an instance of brushing
4.
6.
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
9. (transitive)
to apply or remove with a brush or brushing movement
brush the crumbs off the table
11. (intransitive)
to move so as to graze or touch something lightly
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
noun
brushlike (ˈbrushˌlike)
adjective
Word origin of 'brush'
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'brush'
noun
1.
3.
a.
4.
the act of brushing
6.
7.
a bushy tail, esp. that of a fox
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
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'brush'
Example sentences containing 'brush'
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
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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. 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. THE EARTH: An Intimate History (2004)Once the horse is dry brush him over with a clean body brush. 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
Trends of 'brush'
In Common Usage. brush is one of the 10000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
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Translations for '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
- 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
- Spanish: cepillar
- Swedish: borsta
- Thai: แปรง
- Turkish: fırçalamak
- Ukrainian: чистити
- Vietnamese: chải
Nearby words of 'brush'
Source
Definition of brush from the
Collins English Dictionary
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