Definition Definition

Brush - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'Brush' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Brush [ n.]
- 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.
- The bushy tail of a fox.
- A tuft of hair on the mandibles.
- Branches of trees lopped off; brushwood.
- A thicket of shrubs or small trees; the shrubs and small trees in a wood; underbrush.
- 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.
- 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.
- A skirmish; a slight encounter; a shock or collision; as, to have a brush with an enemy.
- A short contest, or trial, of speed.
- To apply a brush to, according to its particular use; to rub, smooth, clean, paint, etc., with a brush.
- To touch in passing, or to pass lightly over, as with a brush.
- To remove or gather by brushing, or by an act like that of brushing, or by passing lightly over, as wind; -- commonly with off.
2 . Brush [ v. i.]
- To move nimbly in haste; to move so lightly as scarcely to be perceived; as, to brush by.

Meaning of 'Brush' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . brush [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the act of brushing your hair
Example in sentence:
  • he gave his hair a quick brush
Meaning (2):
- contact with something dangerous or undesirable
Example in sentence:
  • he tried to avoid any brushes with the police;
  • I had a brush with danger on my way to work
Meaning (3):
- the act of brushing your teeth
Example in sentence:
  • the dentist recommended two brushes a day
4 . brush [ v]
Meaning (4):
- sweep across or over
Example in sentence:
  • A gasp swept cross the audience;
  • Her long skirt brushed the floor
Meaning (5):
- remove with or as if with a brush
Example in sentence:
  • brush aside the objections;
  • brush away the crumbs;
  • brush the dust from the jacket
Meaning (6):
- cover by brushing
Example in sentence:
  • brush the bread with melted butter
Meaning (7):
- touch lightly and briefly
Example in sentence:
  • He brushed the wall lightly
Meaning (8):
- rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
Example in sentence:
  • Johnson brushed the hairs from his jacket
Meaning (9):
- clean with a brush
Example in sentence:
  • She brushed the suit before hanging it back into the closet