brush

/brəʃ/

/brəʃ/

Other forms: brushed; brushing; brushes

Use the noun brush when you want to refer to a quick, light touch. If you are comforting someone you don't know well, you can give their arm a quick brush to show sympathy.

The noun brush can refer to a thick growth of scrub vegetation. You'll have to clear away the brush if you want to plant a garden there. As a verb, brush can mean to sweep, either literally or metaphorically. You can brush the dirt from the floor, but you can't just brush away your past misdeeds. The verb also means to touch lightly. If you are baking and you brush your hand across your cheek, chances are you'll leave a trail of flour there.

Definitions of brush

1. noun

   an implement that has hairs or bristles firmly set into a handle
   types:

   bottlebrush

   a cylindrical brush on a thin shaft that is used to clean bottles

   bristle brush

   a brush that is made with the short stiff hairs of an animal or plant

   clothesbrush

   a brush used for cleaning clothing

   hairbrush

   a brush used to groom a person's hair

   nailbrush

   a brush used to clean a person's fingernails

   paintbrush

   a brush used as an applicator (to apply paint)

   sable, sable brush, sable's hair pencil

   an artist's brush made of sable hairs

   scrub brush, scrubber, scrubbing brush

   a brush with short stiff bristles for heavy cleaning

   shaving brush

   a brush used to apply lather prior to shaving

   toothbrush

   small brush; has long handle; used to clean teeth

   electric toothbrush

   a toothbrush with an electric motor in the handle that vibrates the head of the brush

   rigger, rigger brush

   a long slender pointed sable brush used by artists

   type of:

   implement

   instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end
2. noun

   a bushy tail or part of a bushy tail (especially of the fox)
   type of:

   tail

   the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
3. noun

   the act of brushing your teeth
   “the dentist recommended two brushes a day”

   synonyms: brushing

   type of:

   dental care

   care for the teeth
4. noun

   the act of brushing your hair
   “he gave his hair a quick brush”

   synonyms: brushing

   type of:

   hair care, haircare, hairdressing

   care for the hair: the activity of washing or cutting or curling or arranging the hair
5. verb

   rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
   “Johnson brushed the hairs from his jacket”

   type of:

   rub

   move over something with pressure
6. verb

   clean with a brush
   “She brushed the suit before hanging it back into the closet”

   type of:

   clean, make clean

   make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances from
7. verb

   remove with or as if with a brush
   “brush away the crumbs”

   “brush the dust from the jacket”

   “brush aside the objections”

   type of:

   remove, take, take away, withdraw

   remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
8. verb

   cover by brushing
   “brush the bread with melted butter”

   type of:

   cover

   provide with a covering or cause to be covered
9. noun

   contact with something dangerous or undesirable
   “I had a brush with danger on my way to work”

   “he tried to avoid any brushes with the police”

   type of:

   contact

   close interaction
10. noun

    momentary contact
    synonyms: light touch

    type of:

    touch, touching

    the event of something coming in contact with the body
11. noun

    a minor short-term fight
    synonyms: clash, encounter, skirmish

    types:

    contretemps

    an awkward clash

    type of:

    combat, fight, fighting, scrap

    the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
12. verb

    touch lightly and briefly
    “He brushed the wall lightly”

    synonyms:

    sweep

    sweep across or over

    types:

    crease, graze, rake

    scrape gently

    flick

    touch or hit with a light, quick blow

    shave

    touch the surface of lightly

    type of:

    touch

    make physical contact with, come in contact with
13. verb

    sweep across or over
    “Her long skirt brushed the floor”

    synonyms: sweep

    sail, sweep

    move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions

    type of:

    move

    move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
14. noun

    conducts current between rotating and stationary parts of a generator or motor
    type of:

    electrical device

    a device that produces or is powered by electricity
15. noun

    a dense growth of bushes
    synonyms: brushwood, coppice, copse, thicket

    types:

    brake

    an area thickly overgrown usually with one kind of plant

    canebrake

    a dense growth of cane (especially giant cane)

    spinney

    a copse that shelters game

    underbrush, undergrowth, underwood

    the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest

    ground cover, groundcover

    small plants other than saplings growing on a forest floor

    type of:

    botany, flora, vegetation

    all the plant life in a particular region or period