From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_039_gbrushbrush1 /brʌʃ/ ●●● S3 noun 1 object for cleaning/paintingFOR CLEANING [countable]DT an object that you use for cleaning, painting, making your hair tidy etc, made with a lot of hairs, bristles, or thin pieces of plastic, fastened to a handle → broom a scrubbing brush → hairbrush, nailbrush, paintbrush, toothbrush2 treesBUSHES/TREES [uncountable] a) DNsmall bushes and trees that cover an area of land b) DNbranches that have broken off bushes and trees3 movement [singular]CLEAN a movement in which you brush something to remove dirt, make something smooth, tidy etc I’ll just give my hair a quick brush.4 TOUCHtouch [singular]TOUCH a quick light touch, made by chance when two things or people pass each other the brush of her silk dress as she walked past5 AVOID[countable] a time when you only just avoid an unpleasant situation or argumentbrush with His first brush with the law came when he was 16. A brush with death can make you appreciate life more.6 tailFAIL [countable]HBA the tail of a fox
Examples from the Corpus
brush• Paint on your lip shape with a matching pink lip pencil, or use a brush with pink lipstick.• a brush fire• Suddenly a barrier of logs and brush blocked his path.• Titanium white colour from Brera, Maimeri; no8 Bristlewhite brushes.• By 1952 he was becoming all the more determined that the United States should not be tarred with the colonial brush.• He cut brush and cleared fields of heavy stones.• When I met with Burke in his office last week, he was stamping out the latest political brush fire.• I'll just give my hair a quick brush.• I felt the brush of her sleeve as she walked past.• Use a wire brush to remove the rust.• It's recommended that these are used in conjunction with brushes to keep them from clogging.give ... brush• After posing for this snapshot, Arsenio gave him the brush off.• Now that Higginbotham has been given the brush off, may I venture to approach you?• Most Brother machines gave weaving brushes which are built in to the sinker plate.• The Oakley gave her the brush of the only fox they broke up that day.brush with death• Nobody wants to die but a brush with death makes you feel more intensely alive than ever.• Perhaps it was that close brush with death that had sharpened all her senses.• Perhaps that early brush with death endowed the villagers with a greater than normal appreciation for the past.• He knew that what he was feeling didn't have much to do with his brush with death.• Stars danced before my eyes and I kept shaking with fear at my latest brush with death.brushbrush2 ●●● S3 verb 1 clean/make tidy [transitive]CLEAN to clean something or make something smooth and tidy using a brush → sweep Don’t forget to brush your teeth.2 remove [transitive always + adverb/preposition]MOVE something OR somebody to remove something with a brush or with your handbrush something off/from etc something Ella brushed the crumbs off her jacket. He brushed the tears from his eyes.3 touch lightly [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive]TOUCH to touch someone or something lightly when passing them Something brushed her shoulders.brush against I felt her hair brush against my arm.brush past Nell brushed past him in the doorway.4 put something on something [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put a liquid onto something using a brushbrush something with something Brush the pastry with milk.brush something over/onto something Brush a little oil over the top of the pizza. → brush something under the carpet at sweep1(15) → brush somebody/something ↔ aside → brush somebody/something ↔ down → brush somebody/something ↔ off → brush up (on) something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
brush• As she passed, her bare arm brushed against his arm, sending a shiver down his spine.• I felt something brush against the back of my head.• Even Marshall had brushed aside all suggestions of having a few minutes to spare to give Harbury something exclusive.• Conference-goers, though, brushed aside the news as a blip on the political radar screen.• When it was cut into ravioli, I decided, I would brush each one very lightly with egg white.• The warm evening air brushed her face and tugged at her hair as the car sped south.• She stopped when something soft and fluttery brushed her face.• I brushed his back surreptitiously as I walked past.• Bernard brushed his hands together then walked back to the door.• Use small strokes to brush on the paint.• The car brushed the bush at the end of the driveway.• I brushed the crumbs off the sofa.• Brush the dough with melted butter.• The car brushed the hedges on both sides of the narrow lane.• You should brush your jacket -- it's covered in dust.• Have you brushed your teeth yet?• It's time for you kids to go brush your teeth.Origin brush1 1. (1300-1400) Early French broisse, from Old French broce ( → BRUSH12); probably because branches from bushes and trees were used to make brushes. 2. (1300-1400) Old French broce “broken branches, brushwood” 