Brushed Brush Brʌʃ Jacket Verb Hair Hair/Teeth Shoes

• to brush your hair/teeth
• to brush your shoes
• a tiled floor is easy to brush clean.
• he brushed the dirt off his jacket.

brush

Verb Forms

1. to clean, polish or make something smooth with a brush
• to brush your hair/teeth
• to brush your shoes
• A tiled floor is easy to brush clean.
2. to remove or try to remove something from a place or surface with a brush or with your hand
• He brushed the dirt off his jacket.
• He pulled out a handkerchief and brushed away the tears.
• Gail brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.
• She brushed the fly away.
• Lucille brushed at the blood on his jacket.

Extra Examples

• He brushed the mud from his coat.
• She brushed away her tears.
• Her hair was brushed back in a pony tail.
• She brushed her hair out of her eyes.
• I brushed the crumbs off the table.
3. to put something, for example oil, milk or egg, on something using a brush
• Brush the pastry with beaten egg.
• Brush beaten egg over the pastry.
4. to touch somebody/something lightly while moving close to them/it
• She brushed past him.
• His hand accidentally brushed against hers.
• The leaves brushed her cheek.
• He brushed her lips with his.

Extra Examples

• I hardly noticed the man who brushed past me in the corridor.
• She brushed by him and dashed up the stairs.
• She carefully avoided brushing against the man sitting beside her at the table.

Word Origin

• verb Middle English: noun from Old French broisse; verb partly from Old French brosser ‘to sweep’.