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brush
14 dictionary results for: brush
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
brush1 
[bruhsh] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[bruhsh] Pronunciation Key –noun
–verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
—Verb phrases
—Idioms
| 1. | an implement consisting of bristles, hair, or the like, set in or attached to a handle, used for painting, cleaning, polishing, grooming, etc. |
| 2. | one of a pair of devices consisting of long, thin handles with wire bristles attached, used in jazz or dance bands for keeping a soft, rhythmic beat on the trap drums or the cymbals. |
| 3. | the bushy tail of an animal, esp. of a fox. |
| 4. | Electricity.
|
| 5. | a feathery or hairy tuft or tassel, as on the tip of a kernel of grain or on a man's hat. |
| 6. | an act or instance of brushing; application of a brush. |
| 7. | a light, stroking touch. |
| 8. | a brief encounter: He has already had one brush with the law. |
| 9. | a close approach, esp. to something undesirable or harmful: a brush with disaster. |
| 10. | to sweep, paint, clean, polish, etc., with a brush. |
| 11. | to touch lightly in passing; pass lightly over: His lips brushed her ear. |
| 12. | to remove by brushing or by lightly passing over: His hand brushed a speck of lint from his coat. |
| 13. | to move or skim with a slight contact. |
| 14. | brush aside, to disregard; ignore: Our complaints were simply brushed aside. |
| 15. | brush off, to rebuff; send away: She had never been brushed off so rudely before. |
| 16. | brush up on, to revive, review, or resume (studies, a skill, etc.): She's thinking of brushing up on her tennis. Also, brush up. |
| 17. | get the brush, to be rejected or rebuffed: She greeted Jim effusively, but I got the brush. |
| 18. | give the brush, to ignore, rebuff, etc.: If you're still angry with him, give him the brush. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; (n.) ME brusshe, prob. to be identified with brush2, if orig. sense was implement made from twigs, etc., culled from brushwood; (v.) ME brushen to hasten, rush, prob. < OF brosser to travel (through brush), v. deriv. of broce (see brush2)]
] —Related forms
brush·a·ble, adjective
brusher, noun
brushlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
brush2
[bruhsh] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[bruhsh] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | a dense growth of bushes, shrubs, etc.; scrub; thicket. |
| 2. | a pile or covering of lopped or broken branches; brushwood. |
| 3. | bushes and low trees growing in thick profusion, esp. close to the ground. |
| 4. | Also called brushland. land or an area covered with thickly growing bushes and low trees. |
| 5. | backwoods; a sparsely settled wooded region. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME brusshe < MF broisse, OF broce underbrush (cf. AF brousson wood, brusseie heath), perh. < VL *bruscia excrescences, deriv. of L bruscum knot or excrescence on a maple tree]
] —Related forms
brush·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| brush 1
(brŭsh) Pronunciation Key
n.
v. brushed, brush·ing, brush·es v. tr.
v. intr.
Phrasal Verb(s): brush back Baseball To force (a batter) to move away from the plate by throwing an inside pitch. brush up
[Middle English brusshe, from Old French brosse, brushwood, brush; see brush2.] brush'er n., brush'y adj. Synonyms: These verbs mean to make light contact with something in passing: Her arm brushed mine. I flicked the paper with my finger. The arrow glanced off the tree. The knife blade grazed the countertop. A taxi shaved the curb. The oar skims the pond's surface. |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| brush 2
(brŭsh) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English brusshe, from Old French brosse, brushwood, from Vulgar Latin *bruscia, perhaps from Latin bruscum, knot on a maple.] brush'y adj. |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
brush (1)
brush (1)
"dust-sweeper," 1377, from O.Fr. broisse "a brush," probably from V.L. *bruscia "a bunch of new shoots" (used to sweep away dust), perhaps from P.Gmc. *bruskaz "underbrush." Brush off "rebuff, dismiss" is from 1941.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
brush (2)
brush (2)
"shrubbery," 1330, from Anglo-Fr. bruce "brushwood," O.N.Fr. broche, O.Fr. brosse, from Gallo-Romance *brocia, perhaps from *brucus "heather," or possibly from the same source as brush (1). Brushfire is from 1850.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| brush | |
noun | |
| 1. | a dense growth of bushes |
| 2. | an implement that has hairs or bristles firmly set into a handle |
| 3. | momentary contact |
| 4. | conducts current between rotating and stationary parts of a generator or motor |
| 5. | a bushy tail or part of a bushy tail (especially of the fox) |
| 6. | a minor short-term fight |
| 7. | the act of brushing your teeth; "the dentist recommended two brushes a day" |
| 8. | the act of brushing your hair; "he gave his hair a quick brush" |
| 9. | 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" |
verb | |
| 1. | rub with a brush, or as if with a brush; "Johnson brushed the hairs from his jacket" |
| 2. | touch lightly and briefly; "He brushed the wall lightly" |
| 3. | clean with a brush; "She brushed the suit before hanging it back into the closet" |
| 4. | sweep across or over; "Her long skirt brushed the floor"; "A gasp swept cross the audience" |
| 5. | remove with or as if with a brush; "brush away the crumbs"; "brush the dust from the jacket"; "brush aside the objections" |
| 6. | cover by brushing; "brush the bread with melted butter" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This
brush
In addition to the idioms beginning with brush, also see give someone the air (brush off); have a brush with; tarred with the same brush.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This
Brush Creek, TN Zip code(s): 38547
Brush Prairie, WA (CDP, FIPS 8465) Location: 45.73140 N, 122.55138 W
Population (1990): 2650 (916 housing units)
Area: 20.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 98606
Brush Valley, PA Zip code(s): 15720
Brush, CO (city, FIPS 9555) Location: 40.25675 N, 103.63230 W
Population (1990): 4165 (1720 housing units)
Area: 6.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 80723
U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Brush
Brush\, n. [OE. brusche, OF. broche, broce, brosse, brushwood, F. brosse brush, LL. brustia, bruscia, fr. OHG. brusta, brust, bristle, G. borste bristle, b["u]rste brush. See Bristle, n., and cf. Browse.]1. An instrument composed of bristles, or other like material, set in a suitable back or handle, as of wood, bone, or ivory, and used for various purposes, as in removing dust from clothes, laying on colors, etc. Brushes have different shapes and names according to their use; as, clothes brush, paint brush, tooth brush, etc. 2. The bushy tail of a fox. 3. (Zo["o]l.) A tuft of hair on the mandibles. 4. Branches of trees lopped off; brushwood. 5. A thicket of shrubs or small trees; the shrubs and small trees in a wood; underbrush. 6. (Elec.) A bundle of flexible wires or thin plates of metal, used to conduct an electrical current to or from the commutator of a dynamo, electric motor, or similar apparatus. 7. The act of brushing; as, to give one's clothes a brush; a rubbing or grazing with a quick motion; a light touch; as, we got a brush from the wheel as it passed. [As leaves] have with one winter's brush Fell from their boughts. --Shak. 8. A skirmish; a slight encounter; a shock or collision; as, to have a brush with an enemy. Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong, And tempt not yet the brushes of the war. --Shak. 9. A short contest, or trial, of speed. Let us enjoy a brush across the country. --Cornhill Mag. Electrical brush, a form of the electric discharge characterized by a brushlike appearance of luminous rays diverging from an electrified body.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Brush
Brush\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brushed; p. pr. & vb. n. Brushing.] [OE. bruschen; cf. F. brosser. See Brush, n.]1. To apply a brush to, according to its particular use; to rub, smooth, clean, paint, etc., with a brush. "A' brushes his hat o' mornings." --Shak. 2. To touch in passing, or to pass lightly over, as with a brush. Some spread their sailes, some with strong oars sweep The waters smooth, and brush the buxom wave. --Fairfax. Brushed with the kiss of rustling wings. --Milton. 3. To remove or gather by brushing, or by an act like that of brushing, or by passing lightly over, as wind; -- commonly with off. As wicked dew as e'er my mother brushed With raven's feather from unwholesome fen. --Shak. And from the boughts brush off the evil dew. --Milton. To brush aside, to remove from one's way, as with a brush. To brush away, to remove, as with a brush or brushing motion. To brush up, to paint, or make clean or bright with a brush; to cleanse or improve; to renew. You have commissioned me to paint your shop, and I have done my best to brush you up like your neighbors. --Pope.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Brush
Brush\, v. i. To move nimbly in haste; to move so lightly as scarcely to be perceived; as, to brush by. Snatching his hat, he brushed off like the wind. --Goldsmith.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Brush
Brush\, n. In Australia, a dense growth of vegetation in good soil, including shrubs and trees, mostly small.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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