brush

BRUSH/bɹʌʃ/

21 meanings of brush

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A tool with stiff hairs fixed to a handle, used to clean, paint, or tidy hair.
Like a broom, but smaller and for finer jobs.
She dipped the brush into the red paint.
Use a soft brush to clean the keyboard.
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2
verbtransitive
To make something clean by rubbing it with a brush.
Like wiping a table, but using bristles instead of a cloth.
He brushed his jacket until it looked clean again.
Brush your boots before you step on the carpet.
Similarclean, scrub, groom, sweep
3
verbintransitive
To clean your teeth by moving a toothbrush over them.
Like washing your hands, but for your teeth.
Remember to brush before you go to bed.
She brushes twice a day, morning and night.
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4
verbtransitive or intransitive
To touch something gently as you move past it.
Like a feather lightly touching your skin.
Her hand brushed his arm as she walked by.
The branches brush against the window when the wind blows.
Similargraze, touch, skim, stroke
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5
nouncountable or uncountable
A quick rub or sweep made with a brush.
Like giving something a single quick wipe.
She gave her hair a quick brush before leaving.
One brush of the roller covered the whole spot.
Similarstroke, sweep, swipe, flick
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6
noununcountable
Small wild plants and bushes that grow thicker than grass but lower than trees.
Like the messy bushes you see along the edge of a field.
The deer hid in the thick brush near the river.
We cleared the dry brush before building the campfire.
Similarscrub, undergrowth, thicket
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7
nouncountable or uncountable
A short meeting with something, often something dangerous or unusual.
Like quickly bumping into something and then moving on.
He had a brush with danger when the car skidded.
Her brush with the famous singer lasted only a moment.
Similarencounter, run-in
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8
verbtransitive
To make hair or fur neat and smooth using a brush.
Like using a comb to make tangled hair lie flat.
She brushed her long hair before the party.
Brush the dog's coat gently so it does not hurt.
Similarcomb, groom, smooth
9
verbtransitive
To put paint, glue, or another liquid on something using a brush.
Like painting a wall, but with a smaller tool.
She brushed glue along the edge of the paper.
Brush some oil over the bread before baking it.
Similarpaint, spread, apply
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10
verbtransitive
To get rid of something by sweeping it away with quick strokes.
Like sweeping dust off a shelf with your hand.
She brushed the crumbs off the table.
Brush the snow off your coat before coming inside.
Similarwipe, sweep, dust, flick
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11
nouncountable or uncountable
The thick, furry tail of an animal, especially a fox.
Like a soft, fluffy duster trailing behind the animal.
The fox swept the snow with its bushy brush.
You can spot a red fox by its long, white-tipped brush.
12
nouncountable or uncountable
A tool on screen that you use to paint a color or texture onto a picture.
Like a real paintbrush, but it spreads color on a computer picture instead of paper.
Pick the brush, choose a color, and paint over the sky.
He used the brush to fill the whole shape with green.
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13
nouncountable or uncountable
A saved group of settings that gives each painted stroke its own texture and look.
Like a recipe that tells the computer how every stroke should look.
He downloaded a new brush that makes strokes look like rough chalk.
Each brush stores its own size, shape, and texture.
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14
nouncountable or uncountable
A tool with thin wire or plastic bristles, used to play drums softly.
Like sweeping a soft broom across the drum instead of hitting it.
The drummer swept a brush across the snare for a quiet, hushing sound.
He swapped his sticks for a brush during the slow song.
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15
nouncountable or uncountable
A small block of carbon that keeps electricity flowing between the moving and still parts of a motor.
Like a finger that keeps touching a spinning wheel so power can pass through.
When the motor stopped working, the worn brush needed replacing.
A carbon brush presses against the spinning part to carry the current.
16
nouncountable or uncountable
A spray of sparks shaped like the bristles of a brush.
Like a tiny burst of sparks that spreads out like the end of a brush.
A faint brush of sparks flickered from the charged metal point.
In the dark, the wire gave off a blue brush where the voltage leaked.
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17
nouncountable or uncountable
A solid 3D block that level designers use to build the shape of a game world.
Like a building block you stack to make rooms in a video game.
She added a brush to form the walls of the room.
Each brush is a simple solid shape joined to make the level.
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18
nouncountable or uncountable
A small tuft of hair growing on an insect's jaws.
Like a tiny bunch of hairs sticking out, just like the end of a brush.
Under the microscope, a fine brush of hairs covered the insect's jaw.
The bee uses the brush on its mouthparts to gather pollen.
Similartuft
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19
nounslangcountable or uncountable
The worker in a poker room who manages games and seats players.
Like the host at a restaurant who decides where you sit.
The brush added our names to the waiting list for the next table.
Ask the brush when a seat opens up.
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20
nounarchaiccountable or uncountable
A short race or quick test of speed.
Like a short, friendly race to see who is quickest.
The two riders had a brush down the lane to see whose horse was faster.
After a quick brush along the straight, he reined in his mare.
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21
noununcountable
Cut evergreen branches that are tied in bundles and sold for making wreaths.
Each fall, workers haul truckloads of brush to the wreath factory.
They cut and baled brush from the balsam stands all season.
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Practice

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Origin

From Middle English brusshe, from an Old French word, going back to Latin and Germanic roots meaning "bristle" or "thicket."