brush
/brʌʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /brʌʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbrəsh/ (ame, mw)
brush — noun
1. a hand tool with stiff hairs, plastic points, or thin wire on one end, used for
a hand tool with stiff hairs, plastic points, or thin wire on one end, used for jobs such as cleaning, painting, or fixing hair.
Noa pulled a round brush from her bag before the school play.
round brush for styling hair
The baker dipped a pastry brush into butter for the warm rolls.
type: pastry brush
A stiff wire brush removed the dry mud from Theo's boots.
On the floor lay a wide brush beside two open paint cans.
The cleaner washed the fence with a long brush and soapy water.
- paintbrush
more specific; only for putting paint on a surface
- comb
has teeth instead of bristles; mainly for hair
文法句型
a brush for + task
用法筆記
Often followed by 'for' plus the job it does, or by a noun showing its type, such as 'pastry brush' or 'wire brush'. Distinguish from sense 3, which names the action rather than the tool.
常見錯誤
2. used in compound nouns to name a brush made for a particular body part, material
used in compound nouns to name a brush made for a particular body part, material, or job.
Before class, Hana pulled a hairbrush from her locker and fixed her bangs.
compound noun in use: hairbrush
After lunch, Diego scrubbed green paint off his hands with a toothbrush.
compound noun in use: toothbrush
Children quickly learn that a paintbrush is a brush for paint.
On the box, bottle brush names a tool for washing bottles.
文法句型
X + brush
用法筆記
This sense is mainly used when explaining word formation. The first part of the compound shows what the brush is for, such as 'hair-' or 'tooth-'.
3. one quick cleaning or tidying action with a brush, or a short time spent doing t
one quick cleaning or tidying action with a brush, or a short time spent doing this.
Before dinner, Priya gave her muddy shoes a fast brush.
give + object + a brush
The dog needed another brush after rolling in the sand.
One good brush made the black coat look new again.
The horse stood still while the groom gave it a brush.
After lunch, Bao's hair needed a careful brush before photos.
文法句型
give + noun + a brush
用法筆記
Usually appears with 'give ... a brush' when someone quickly tidies shoes, hair, clothing, or an animal's coat.
4. a very brief moment when one person or thing passes lightly against another.
a very brief moment when one person or thing passes lightly against another.
As the train stopped, Mei felt a brush of fabric on her arm.
a brush of + noun
A brush of leaves across his face woke Yusuf at once.
There was only a brush of fingers as they traded the keys.
The cat ran past with a brush of its tail on Noa's leg.
文法句型
a brush of + noun
用法筆記
Common with 'of' when naming what touched you: a brush of fabric, a brush of fingers, a brush of leaves.
5. a short experience of danger, trouble, or a small fight, especially one that alm
a short experience of danger, trouble, or a small fight, especially one that almost harms you.
The climbers had a brush with death when ice fell beside them.
fixed pattern: a brush with + danger
At sixteen, Omar had a brush with the law after the prank.
The two teams had a brush near the goal after halftime.
Lena's brush with food poisoning ruined the final day of camp.
文法句型
a brush with + noun
用法筆記
Very often appears in the pattern 'a brush with ...', especially with words such as death, the law, danger, or illness.
6. wild growth of small bushes, and the open country where that kind of growth spre
wild growth of small bushes, and the open country where that kind of growth spreads.
A rabbit shot from the brush beside the dusty road.
the brush = scrub vegetation
Smoke rose from the dry brush behind the farm at noon.
The hikers pushed through thick brush to reach the river.
At sunset, quail disappeared into the brush near camp.
- scrub
common in geography and land descriptions
- undergrowth
thicker low growth under taller trees
文法句型
in the brush
用法筆記
Usually refers to wild plant growth in the countryside, not to bushes in a planned garden.
7. cut twigs and small branches, especially when they are piled for burning, fencin
cut twigs and small branches, especially when they are piled for burning, fencing, or clearing land.
The gardener stacked dry brush beside the wall for the fire.
brush meaning cut branches
Workers cleared the path and piled the brush near the gate.
After pruning the hedge, Leila tied the brush in bundles.
Rain soaked the brush, so the campers could not burn it.
用法筆記
This sense is close to 'brushwood' and often appears in outdoor work such as clearing land or building simple fires.
8. a fox's long, full tail.
a fox's long, full tail.
Snow clung to the red fox's brush as it ran.
a fox's brush
The hunter found a fox brush caught under the fence.
The old hat was decorated with a silver fox brush.
In the painting, the fox lifted its brush above the grass.
- tail
normal everyday word; much broader
文法句型
a fox's brush
用法筆記
This is a special hunting or literary use. In everyday English, people usually just say 'tail'.
brush — verb
1. to pass against someone or something with only a slight touch.
to pass against someone or something with only a slight touch.
Leila's sleeve brushed my arm as she reached for the map.
brush + object in passing
A low branch brushed the bus window on the mountain road.
While passing the shelf, Ravi brushed a jar with his elbow.
Snowflakes brushed Hana's face when she opened the roof window.
The ball brushed the post and rolled out of play.
文法句型
brush + noun
brush against + noun
brush past + noun
用法筆記
This sense often describes contact in passing. The touch is slight, and there is usually no idea of cleaning or pushing something away.
常見錯誤
2. to sweep or flick something away by using your hand or a brush.
to sweep or flick something away by using your hand or a brush.
Noa brushed wet hair out of her eyes before the race.
brush + noun + out of + place
The waiter brushed crumbs from the table with a folded towel.
brush + noun + from + surface
Yusuf brushed sand off the picnic blanket after lunch.
Priya brushed a tear away and kept reading the letter.
At the door, Theo brushed snow from his coat collar.
- sweep away
often stronger and wider in movement
- wipe away
usually with a cloth or hand rather than a brush
文法句型
brush + noun + away
brush + noun + off
brush + noun + from + place
用法筆記
The object is the thing being moved away, such as hair, crumbs, sand, or tears. Distinguish from sense 3, where the main idea is cleaning or smoothing the surface itself.
常見錯誤
3. to use a brush on something to clean it, tidy it, or make it smooth.
to use a brush on something to clean it, tidy it, or make it smooth.
Every night, Bao brushes his teeth before the ten o'clock news.
brush + teeth
Imani brushed her long hair beside the open window.
brush + hair
The stable hand brushed the horse clean before the show.
Before guests arrived, Sven brushed the steps until they looked new.
After the game, Kofi brushed his white shoes by the sink.
文法句型
brush + noun
brush + body part
brush + noun + clean
用法筆記
The object is the thing you work on: teeth, hair, clothes, shoes, or an animal's coat. Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is the thing removed.
常見錯誤
4. to spread a liquid or soft substance onto a surface by using a brush.
to spread a liquid or soft substance onto a surface by using a brush.
The baker brushed egg over the pies before they went in.
brush + egg over + food
Greta brushed oil onto the grill so the fish would not stick.
brush + oil onto + surface
A restorer brushed clear glue along the torn edge.
Before painting, Jin brushed primer onto the old wooden door.
The cook brushed butter across the warm corn with quick strokes.
文法句型
brush + liquid + onto + surface
brush + liquid + over + surface
用法筆記
The object is the substance being put on, such as egg, butter, oil, glue, or paint. The surface usually follows with 'onto', 'over', or 'across'.