Synonyms for brush
Most common
Definitions
- n. 1
An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including cleaning, painting, and arranging hair.
- n. 2
The act of brushing something.
She gave her hair a quick brush.
Related words
- Word family
- brushbot brushcutter brushlike brushtail brush-turkey brushwood brushy brushback
- Phrases
- brush up brush off brush aside brush cut brush wolf brush up to brush down brush hook
Forms
- Plural
- brushes → encounters, actions, skirmishes, fights…
Choose the right word
We brush clothing if dusty, sponge it, or sponge it off, if soiled; or sponge off a spot.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- underbrush The centipede scurried through the dense underbrush.
- brushwood Please gather some brushwood.
- pencil This is the same pencil that I lost the other day.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| brush | rising | |
| underbrush | rising | |
| brushwood | steady | |
| pencil | steady | |
| corposant | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- tail1
- 5 letters
- fight1, stick1, clash1, whisk1, copse
- 6 letters
- action2, battle2, combat2, affair2, pencil2
- 7 letters
- contest2, thicket2, coppice
- 8 letters
- conflict2, skirmish2
- 9 letters
- encounter3, collision3, brushwood, corposant
- 10 letters
- engagement3, underbrush3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (action2 = 2 syllables).