paintbrush

IPA/ˈpeɪntbrʌʃ/
KK[pˈentbrˌʌʃ]IPA/ˈpeɪntbrʌʃ/

paintbrush — noun

  • paintbrushsingular
  • paintbrushesplural

1. a small handheld tool with stiff or soft hairs fixed to one end of a wooden or p

1.nounA2
Definition

a small handheld tool with stiff or soft hairs fixed to one end of a wooden or plastic handle, used to spread paint over walls, furniture, or pictures.

Example

Maya dipped her paintbrush into the red paint and started the sunset.

dip + paintbrush into + [colour] paint

The art teacher handed each child a thin paintbrush and a sheet of paper.

thin / fine paintbrush for detail work

Common collocations
  • dip a paintbrush in paint
  • wash / rinse a paintbrush
  • a fine / thin paintbrush
  • a wide / large paintbrush
  • hold a paintbrush
Synonyms
  • brush

    general word for any brush; use 'paintbrush' when the purpose for paint must be clear.

  • bristle brush

    emphasises the stiff hairs; common in art and decorating shops.

Usage Note

Almost always countable; a single brush is 'a paintbrush', several are 'paintbrushes'. Often modified by an adjective for size or material (wide, thin, fine, stiff) or by the surface or paint type ('a watercolour paintbrush', 'a wall paintbrush').

Common Mistakes

I bought a paint brush at the shop.
I bought a paintbrush at the shop.
written as one word, not two.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words name a tool with hairs fixed to a handle, but they differ in how specific they are. 'Brush' is the broadest word and can mean a hairbrush, a toothbrush, or a sweeping brush, so it usually needs context: 'pass me the brush' is unclear in a workshop. 'Paintbrush' makes the purpose explicit and is the natural choice in art class, on a hardware shelf, or on a decorating job — 'I need a wider paintbrush for the wall'. 'Bristle brush' highlights the material of the hairs (stiff animal or synthetic bristles) and is common when shopping or talking about quality: 'a natural bristle brush gives a smoother finish than a cheap nylon one'.

paintbrush ↗brush ↗bristle brush

Common collocations

Nouns

  • paintbrush handle
  • paintbrush bristles
  • set of paintbrushes

Phrases

  • pick up a paintbrush
  • lay down the paintbrush
  • clean the paintbrushes

Prepositions

  • with a paintbrush
  • in a paintbrush

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

A straightforward English compound formed from 'paint' + 'brush', first recorded in the early 1700s when household and decorative painting became more common. 'Paint' comes through Old French 'peint' from Latin 'pingere' (to paint, to depict), while 'brush' comes from Old French 'brosse' meaning brushwood or a bunch of twigs — early brushes were literally bound twigs before animal hair became standard.