brush

II. brush² S3 BrE AmE verb
1. CLEAN/MAKE TIDY [transitive] 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] to remove something with a brush or with your hand
brush 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] 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 brush
brush 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 phrasal verb
to refuse to listen to someone, or refuse to consider something SYN dismiss:
He simply brushed all my objections aside.
brush somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verb
1. to clean something using a brush:
He was brushing the pony down.
2. brush yourself down to use your hands to remove dirt from your clothes, especially after you have fallen
brush somebody/something ↔ off phrasal verb
to refuse to listen to someone or their ideas, especially by ignoring them or saying something rude:
Corman brushed off the accusations. ⇨ ↑brush-off
brush up (on) something phrasal verb
to practise and improve your skills or your knowledge of something that you learned in the past:
I must brush up on my French before I go to Paris.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

verb
1. transitive to clean, polish, or make smooth with a brush
• ~ sth to brush your hair/teeth/shoes

• ~ sth + adj. A tiled floor is easy to brush clean.

2. transitive to put sth, for example oil, milk or egg, on sth using a brush
• ~ A with B Brush the pastry with beaten egg.

• ~ B over A Brush beaten egg over the pastry.

3. transitive ~ sth + adv./prep. to remove sth from a surface with a brush or with your hand
• He brushed the dirt off his jacket.

• She brushed the fly away.

4. intransitive, transitive to touch sb/sth lightly while moving close to them/it
• ~ against/by/past sb/sth She brushed past him.
• His hand accidentally brushed against hers.
• ~ sth The leaves brushed her cheek.
• ~ sth with sth He brushed her lips with his.

Word Origin:
v. and n. senses 1 to 4 n. sense 6 Middle English Old French broisse Old French brosser ‘to sweep’
n. sense 5 Middle English Old French broce Latin bruscum

Example Bank:
• He brushed the mud from his coat.
• Her hair was brushed back in a pony tail.
• I hardly noticed the man who brushed past me in the corridor.
• Lucille brushed at the blood on his jacket.
• She brushed away her tears.
• She brushed by him and dashed up the stairs.
• She brushed her hair out of her eyes.
• She carefully avoided brushing against the man sitting beside her at the table.
• She hummed happily as she brushed down her coat.
• brushing the crumbs off the table

• The non-slip surface is easy to brush clean.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

brush / brʌʃ / verb (TOUCH)

B2 [ I + adv/prep , T ] to touch (something) quickly and lightly or carelessly:

Charlotte brushed against him (= touched him quickly and lightly with her arm or body) as she left the room.

His lips gently brushed her cheek and he was gone.

C1 [ T + adv/prep ] to move something somewhere using a brush or your hand:

Jackie brushed the hair out of her eyes.

He brushed away a tear.

She stood up and brushed the wrinkles from her dress.

brush / brʌʃ / verb [ T ] (CLEAN)

A2 to clean something or make something smooth with a brush:

When did he last brush his teeth , she wondered.

She brushed her hair with long, regular strokes.

[ + obj + adj ] My trousers got covered in mud, but luckily I was able to brush them clean.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

brush

[brʌ̱ʃ]
♦♦♦
brushes, brushing, brushed
1) N-COUNT A brush is an object which has a large number of bristles or hairs fixed to it. You use brushes for painting, for cleaning things, and for tidying your hair.
  We gave him paint and brushes...
  Stains are removed with buckets of soapy water and scrubbing brushes.
  ...a hair brush.
2) VERB If you brush something or brush something such as dirt off it, you clean it or tidy it using a brush.
  [V n] Have you brushed your teeth?...
  [V n prep] She brushed the powder out of her hair...
  [V n with adv] Using a small brush, he brushed away the fine sawdust.
N-SING: a N
Brush is also a noun. I gave it a quick brush with my hairbrush.
3) VERB If you brush something with a liquid, you apply a layer of that liquid using a brush.
  [V n with n] Take a sheet of filo pastry and brush it with melted butter.
4) VERB If you brush something somewhere, you remove it with quick light movements of your hands.
  [V n with adv] He brushed his hair back with both hands...
  [V n with adv] She brushed away tears as she spoke of him...
  [V n prep] He brushed the snow off the windshield.
5) V-ERG If one thing brushes against another or if you brush one thing against another, the first thing touches the second thing lightly while passing it.
  [V prep] Something brushed against her leg...
  [V n] I felt her dark brown hair brushing the back of my shoulder...
  [V n prep] She knelt and brushed her lips softly across Michael's cheek.
6) VERB If you brush past someone or brush by them, you almost touch them as you go past them. [WRITTEN]
  [V prep/adv] My father would burst into the kitchen, brushing past my mother...
  [V prep/adv] He brushed by with a perfunctory wave to the crowd.
7) N-COUNT: usu N with n (vagueness) If you have a brush with someone, you have an argument or disagreement with them. You use brush when you want to make an argument or disagreement sound less serious than it really is.
  My first brush with a headmaster came six years ago...
  It is his third brush with the law in less than a year.
8) N-COUNT: N with n If you have a brush with a particular situation, usually an unpleasant one, you almost experience it.
  ...the trauma of a brush with death...
  The corporation is fighting to survive its second brush with bankruptcy.
  Syn:
  encounter
9) N-UNCOUNT Brush is an area of rough open land covered with small bushes and trees. You also use brush to refer to the bushes and trees on this land.
  ...the brush fire that destroyed nearly 500 acres.
  ...a meadow of low brush and grass.
  Syn:
  bush
10) → See also broad-brush, nail brush
11) tarred with the same brush → see tar
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - brush aside
  - brush away
  - brush off
  - brush up
  - brush up on

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

²brush verb brushes; brushed; brush·ing [+ obj]
1 a : to clean or smooth (something) with a brush
• brush your teeth/hair
b : to put (something) on or onto something with a brush
• Brush some butter onto the fish before cooking it.
2 : to remove (something) with a brush or with a quick movement of your hand, fingers, etc.
• Brush the dirt off your pants.
• The camera showed him brushing [=wiping] away a tear.
3 : to touch gently against (something) when going past it
• Leaves brushed my cheek.
• The two men brushed shoulders [=touched at the shoulders] as they walked past each other.
4 : to move quickly past someone without stopping or paying attention
• The governor brushed by/past the reporters.
brush aside [phrasal verb] brush (something) aside or brush aside (something) : to treat (something) as not important : to ignore or dismiss (something)
• He brushed aside [=brushed off] questions about his son's arrest.
brush off [phrasal verb]
1 brush (something) off or brush off (something) : to treat (something) as not important : to refuse to deal with or talk about (something) in a serious way
• The company brushed off [=brushed aside] reports that it couldn't pay its bills.
2 brush (someone) off or brush off (someone) : to respond to (someone) in a rude way that shows you are not interested in what is being asked for or suggested
• I asked him for some help, but he just brushed me off.
- see also brush-off
brush up [phrasal verb] brush up or brush up (something) : to improve your skill at (something) or increase your knowledge of (something)
• My Spanish is very rusty. I need to brush up before I go on my vacation to Mexico.
• I need to brush up my Spanish.
- often + on
• I need to brush up on my Spanish.