brush
B1Neutral (used across all registers)
Definition
Meaning
A tool with bristles, wires, or other filaments used for cleaning, painting, grooming, or applying something.
A brief, light touch or encounter; a dense growth of bushes or small trees; an act of brushing; a device with bristles used in electrical motors for conducting current.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word has a core physical object meaning (noun) and related action meaning (verb). It extends metaphorically to brief encounters ('brush with death') and to describe dense vegetation ('brush fire').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use 'brush' for tool and action. In vegetation contexts, 'brush' for dense shrubs is more common in American English (e.g., 'brush fire'). The phrase 'brush off' (dismiss) is used in both.
Connotations
Similar in both varieties. The verb can imply carelessness or haste ('brush past someone').
Frequency
Equally common in both dialects. Slight preference in AmE for 'brush' over 'undergrowth' in wildfire contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
brush + NP (object): brush your hairbrush + against/ past + NP: brush past the chairbrush + NP + adjective: brush it cleanbrush + NP + adverb particle: brush the crumbs awayVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “brush up on (revise skills)”
- “brush aside/off (dismiss)”
- “tarred with the same brush (judged similarly)”
- “have a brush with (brief experience, often negative)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
To 'brush up on' skills before a presentation. To 'brush aside' objections.
Academic
In art history: 'brush strokes of the Impressionists'. In ecology: 'fire management in chaparral brush'.
Everyday
Brushing teeth/hair. Brushing dirt off clothes.
Technical
Electrical engineering: 'carbon brushes in a motor'. Dentistry: 'interdental brush'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She brushes her long hair every night.
- He brushed past me in the corridor without apologising.
- I need to brush up on my French before the holiday.
American English
- Brush your teeth twice a day.
- The president brushed off the reporter's question.
- The car just brushed against the garage door.
adverb
British English
- No standard adverbial form. 'Brush-like' is occasionally used descriptively.
American English
- No standard adverbial form. 'Brush-like' is occasionally used descriptively.
adjective
British English
- He bought a brush cleaner for his art supplies.
- The brush cutter made quick work of the overgrown hedge.
American English
- She specializes in brush calligraphy.
- We need a brush guard on the truck for off-roading.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I use a brush to clean my shoes.
- Brush your hair, please.
- The cat has a soft brush.
- He gave the jacket a quick brush before going out.
- We walked through thick brush on the hike.
- I felt something brush against my leg.
- She deftly brushed aside all criticism of her proposal.
- The artist's bold brush strokes are characteristic of his style.
- He had a lucky brush with death during the accident.
- The politician's attempts to brush the scandal under the carpet were unsuccessful.
- The novel's prose is so vivid you can almost feel the brush of the sea breeze.
- Environmentalists warn that the increase in brush fires is a symptom of climate change.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the sound 'brrr-sh' like the sound of bristles moving quickly back and forth.
Conceptual Metaphor
CONTACT IS TOUCH / ATTENTION IS CLEANING (e.g., 'brush up on' knowledge, 'brush off' criticism).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'brush' as in 'artist's brush' (кисть) and 'brush' as in 'brush your teeth' (чистить щёткой). The Russian word 'браш' is a false friend from 'brushed metal/fabric' (имеющий фактурную поверхность).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'I brushed my teeth with a toothpaste.' (Correct: '...with toothpaste' - uncountable). Incorrect: 'I brushed the dust.' (Correct: '...brushed the dust away/off').
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'brush' used metaphorically?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is primarily countable (a brush, two brushes). The vegetation meaning can be uncountable ('acres of brush').
A brush is typically smaller, with shorter bristles, used on surfaces or oneself (hair, teeth). A broom has a long handle and is for sweeping floors.
Yes, but it often implies a reflexive action or is followed by a particle. E.g., 'I brushed before bed' (teeth implied), 'The leaves brushed against the window'.
It means to come into slight, often accidental, contact with something physically ('The bike brushed up against the wall') or metaphorically ('His ideas brush up against heresy').
Collections
Part of a collection
Body and Health
A1 · 49 words · Parts of the body and basic health vocabulary.