brush
brush — noun
1. a hand tool with stiff hairs, plastic points, or thin wire on one end, used for
a hand tool with stiff hairs, plastic points, or thin wire on one end, used for jobs such as cleaning, painting, or fixing hair.
Noa pulled a round brush from her bag before the school play.
round brush for styling hair
The baker dipped a pastry brush into butter for the warm rolls.
type: pastry brush
A stiff wire brush removed the dry mud from Theo's boots.
type: wire brush for cleaning
On the floor lay a wide brush beside two open paint cans.
The cleaner washed the fence with a long brush and soapy water.
- hair brush
- pastry brush
- wire brush
- stiff brush
- paintbrush
more specific; only for putting paint on a surface
- comb
has teeth instead of bristles; mainly for hair
Grammar Patterns
a brush for + task
Usage Note
Often followed by 'for' plus the job it does, or by a noun showing its type, such as 'pastry brush' or 'wire brush'. Distinguish from sense 3, which names the action rather than the tool.
Common Mistakes
2. used in compound nouns to name a brush made for a particular body part, material
used in compound nouns to name a brush made for a particular body part, material, or job.
Before class, Hana pulled a hairbrush from her locker and fixed her bangs.
compound noun in use: hairbrush
After lunch, Diego scrubbed green paint off his hands with a toothbrush.
compound noun in use: toothbrush
Children quickly learn that a paintbrush is a brush for paint.
On the box, bottle brush names a tool for washing bottles.
- hairbrush
- toothbrush
- paintbrush
- bottle brush
Grammar Patterns
X + brush
Usage Note
This sense is mainly used when explaining word formation. The first part of the compound shows what the brush is for, such as 'hair-' or 'tooth-'.
3. one quick cleaning or tidying action with a brush, or a short time spent doing t
one quick cleaning or tidying action with a brush, or a short time spent doing this.
Before dinner, Priya gave her muddy shoes a fast brush.
give + object + a brush
The dog needed another brush after rolling in the sand.
One good brush made the black coat look new again.
The horse stood still while the groom gave it a brush.
After lunch, Bao's hair needed a careful brush before photos.
- give it a brush
- a quick brush
- a careful brush
Grammar Patterns
give + noun + a brush
Usage Note
Usually appears with 'give ... a brush' when someone quickly tidies shoes, hair, clothing, or an animal's coat.
4. a very brief moment when one person or thing passes lightly against another.
a very brief moment when one person or thing passes lightly against another.
As the train stopped, Mei felt a brush of fabric on her arm.
a brush of + noun
A brush of leaves across his face woke Yusuf at once.
There was only a brush of fingers as they traded the keys.
The cat ran past with a brush of its tail on Noa's leg.
- a brush of fabric
- a brush of fingers
- a brush on the arm
Grammar Patterns
a brush of + noun
Usage Note
Common with 'of' when naming what touched you: a brush of fabric, a brush of fingers, a brush of leaves.
5. a short experience of danger, trouble, or a small fight, especially one that alm
a short experience of danger, trouble, or a small fight, especially one that almost harms you.
The climbers had a brush with death when ice fell beside them.
fixed pattern: a brush with + danger
At sixteen, Omar had a brush with the law after the prank.
The two teams had a brush near the goal after halftime.
Lena's brush with food poisoning ruined the final day of camp.
- a brush with death
- a brush with the law
- a brush with danger
Grammar Patterns
a brush with + noun
Usage Note
Very often appears in the pattern 'a brush with ...', especially with words such as death, the law, danger, or illness.
6. wild growth of small bushes, and the open country where that kind of growth spre
wild growth of small bushes, and the open country where that kind of growth spreads.
A rabbit shot from the brush beside the dusty road.
the brush = scrub vegetation
Smoke rose from the dry brush behind the farm at noon.
The hikers pushed through thick brush to reach the river.
At sunset, quail disappeared into the brush near camp.
- dry brush
- thick brush
- hide in the brush
- scrub
common in geography and land descriptions
- undergrowth
thicker low growth under taller trees
Grammar Patterns
in the brush
Usage Note
Usually refers to wild plant growth in the countryside, not to bushes in a planned garden.
7. cut twigs and small branches, especially when they are piled for burning, fencin
cut twigs and small branches, especially when they are piled for burning, fencing, or clearing land.
The gardener stacked dry brush beside the wall for the fire.
brush meaning cut branches
Workers cleared the path and piled the brush near the gate.
After pruning the hedge, Leila tied the brush in bundles.
Rain soaked the brush, so the campers could not burn it.
- dry brush
- pile the brush
- burn brush
Usage Note
This sense is close to 'brushwood' and often appears in outdoor work such as clearing land or building simple fires.
8. a fox's long, full tail.
a fox's long, full tail.
Snow clung to the red fox's brush as it ran.
a fox's brush
The hunter found a fox brush caught under the fence.
The old hat was decorated with a silver fox brush.
In the painting, the fox lifted its brush above the grass.
- fox's brush
- red fox brush
- bushy brush
- tail
normal everyday word; much broader
Grammar Patterns
a fox's brush
Usage Note
This is a special hunting or literary use. In everyday English, people usually just say 'tail'.
brush — verb
1. to pass against someone or something with only a slight touch.
to pass against someone or something with only a slight touch.
Leila's sleeve brushed my arm as she reached for the map.
brush + object in passing
A low branch brushed the bus window on the mountain road.
While passing the shelf, Ravi brushed a jar with his elbow.
Snowflakes brushed Hana's face when she opened the roof window.
The ball brushed the post and rolled out of play.
- brush against someone
- brush past
- brush the wall
Grammar Patterns
brush + noun
brush against + noun
brush past + noun
Usage Note
This sense often describes contact in passing. The touch is slight, and there is usually no idea of cleaning or pushing something away.
Common Mistakes
2. to sweep or flick something away by using your hand or a brush.
to sweep or flick something away by using your hand or a brush.
Noa brushed wet hair out of her eyes before the race.
brush + noun + out of + place
The waiter brushed crumbs from the table with a folded towel.
brush + noun + from + surface
Yusuf brushed sand off the picnic blanket after lunch.
Priya brushed a tear away and kept reading the letter.
At the door, Theo brushed snow from his coat collar.
- brush away a tear
- brush crumbs from the table
- brush snow off
- sweep away
often stronger and wider in movement
- wipe away
usually with a cloth or hand rather than a brush
Grammar Patterns
brush + noun + away
brush + noun + off
brush + noun + from + place
Usage Note
The object is the thing being moved away, such as hair, crumbs, sand, or tears. Distinguish from sense 3, where the main idea is cleaning or smoothing the surface itself.
Common Mistakes
3. to use a brush on something to clean it, tidy it, or make it smooth.
to use a brush on something to clean it, tidy it, or make it smooth.
Every night, Bao brushes his teeth before the ten o'clock news.
brush + teeth
Imani brushed her long hair beside the open window.
brush + hair
The stable hand brushed the horse clean before the show.
brush + object + clean
Before guests arrived, Sven brushed the steps until they looked new.
After the game, Kofi brushed his white shoes by the sink.
- brush your teeth
- brush your hair
- brush clean
- brush the horse
Grammar Patterns
brush + noun
brush + body part
brush + noun + clean
Usage Note
The object is the thing you work on: teeth, hair, clothes, shoes, or an animal's coat. Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is the thing removed.
Common Mistakes
4. to spread a liquid or soft substance onto a surface by using a brush.
to spread a liquid or soft substance onto a surface by using a brush.
The baker brushed egg over the pies before they went in.
brush + egg over + food
Greta brushed oil onto the grill so the fish would not stick.
brush + oil onto + surface
A restorer brushed clear glue along the torn edge.
Before painting, Jin brushed primer onto the old wooden door.
The cook brushed butter across the warm corn with quick strokes.
- brush egg over
- brush oil onto
- brush butter across
Grammar Patterns
brush + liquid + onto + surface
brush + liquid + over + surface
Usage Note
The object is the substance being put on, such as egg, butter, oil, glue, or paint. The surface usually follows with 'onto', 'over', or 'across'.
Common Mistakes
brush aside
phrasal verbTo refuse to accept or consider something important.
Maya brushed aside her friend's concerns about the plan.
Why did the manager brush aside our suggestions so quickly?
brush down
phrasal verbTo clean something by using a brush or your hand.
Sara brushed down her coat after the dusty walk.
He brushed down the tablecloth before setting the plates.
brush off
phrasal verbTo remove something from a surface with a brush or hand.
Diego brushed off the crumbs from his shirt.
Can you brush off the dust from the bookshelf?
brush up
phrasal verbTo improve your knowledge or skill in something you have not used for a while.
Min decided to brush up her Spanish before the trip.
Brian brushed up his cooking skills for the dinner party.
brush up on
phrasal verbTo study or practice something again to improve your skill or knowledge.
Aiden needs to brush up on his math before the exam.
She brushed up on her French by watching movies.
Word family
- toothbrushnounA1
- hairbrushnounA2
- paintbrushnounB1
- brushwoodnounC2
- brushyadjectiveC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/3
These verbs all involve moving a tool across a surface, but they are used in different situations. 'Brush' is the most flexible: you can brush your teeth, brush your hair, or brush mud off shoes. 'Comb' is narrower and is mainly for hair or fur, using a comb's teeth to separate strands rather than a brush's softer bristles. 'Scrub' suggests strong repeated rubbing to remove heavy dirt, so it fits floors, pans, and skin better than neat hair. 'Sweep' is usually for moving dust or dirt across a larger area, especially a floor, often with a broom. You brush a horse's coat, comb long wet hair, scrub a burnt pan, and sweep the kitchen floor.
Etymology
English took 'brush' from Middle English forms that came through Anglo-French and are related to Old French 'broce', a word for brushwood or scrub. That older plant meaning helps explain why the word later named both rough bushes in the wild and the tool made from stiff plant or animal material.