brush
/brʌʃ/ (bre, ipa) · /brʌʃ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbrəsh/ (ame, mw)
brush — 名詞
1. a hand tool with stiff hairs, plastic points, or thin wire on one end, used for
刷子；畫筆
有毛或細絲的一種手工具
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.
Noa 在學校表演前，從包包裡拿出一把圓刷。
round brush for styling hair
The baker dipped a pastry brush into butter for the warm rolls.
那位麵包師把糕點刷沾進奶油裡，準備刷在熱麵包捲上。
type: pastry brush
A stiff wire brush removed the dry mud from Theo's boots.
一把硬金屬刷把 Theo 靴子上的乾泥刷掉了。
On the floor lay a wide brush beside two open paint cans.
地板上放著一支寬畫筆，旁邊是兩個打開的油漆罐。
The cleaner washed the fence with a long brush and soapy water.
清潔員用長刷子和肥皂水清洗那道柵欄。
- 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
構詞用
用在複合名詞裡表示某種刷具
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.
上課前，Hana 從置物櫃裡拿出一把 hairbrush，整理了一下瀏海。
compound noun in use: hairbrush
After lunch, Diego scrubbed green paint off his hands with a toothbrush.
午餐後，Diego 拿 toothbrush 把手上的綠色顏料刷掉。
compound noun in use: toothbrush
Children quickly learn that a paintbrush is a brush for paint.
孩子很快就會知道，paintbrush 就是用來刷顏料的刷具。
On the box, bottle brush names a tool for washing bottles.
在盒子上，bottle brush 這個名稱指的是洗瓶子的刷具。
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
刷一下
一次用刷子整理或清潔的動作
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.
晚餐前，Priya 很快替她沾滿泥的鞋刷一下。
give + object + a brush
The dog needed another brush after rolling in the sand.
那隻狗在沙地打滾後，又需要再刷一下。
One good brush made the black coat look new again.
好好刷一下，就讓那件黑外套看起來像新的一樣。
The horse stood still while the groom gave it a brush.
那匹馬乖乖站著，讓馬伕替牠刷一下。
After lunch, Bao's hair needed a careful brush before photos.
午餐後，Bao 的頭髮在拍照前需要仔細梳一下。
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.
輕碰
短暫擦過身體或物體的接觸
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.
火車停下時，Mei 感到有布料輕碰到她的手臂。
a brush of + noun
A brush of leaves across his face woke Yusuf at once.
葉子輕輕擦過臉頰，立刻把 Yusuf 弄醒了。
There was only a brush of fingers as they traded the keys.
他們交接鑰匙時，只有手指短短地輕碰了一下。
The cat ran past with a brush of its tail on Noa's leg.
那隻貓跑過去時，尾巴輕碰了 Noa 的腿。
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
險遇；衝突
短暫碰上危險、麻煩或小打鬥
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.
冰塊落在旁邊時，那群登山客驚險地與死神擦身而過。
fixed pattern: a brush with + danger
At sixteen, Omar had a brush with the law after the prank.
Omar 十六歲時惡作劇玩過頭，因而小小惹上了官司。
The two teams had a brush near the goal after halftime.
中場休息後，兩隊在球門前發生了一次小衝突。
Lena's brush with food poisoning ruined the final day of camp.
Lena 那次差點食物中毒，毀了營隊最後一天。
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
灌木叢
低矮野生灌木或其覆蓋地帶
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.
一隻兔子從滿是灌木叢的土路邊竄了出來。
the brush = scrub vegetation
Smoke rose from the dry brush behind the farm at noon.
中午時，農場後方乾燥的灌木叢冒出了煙。
The hikers pushed through thick brush to reach the river.
那群健行者穿過濃密的灌木叢，才走到河邊。
At sunset, quail disappeared into the brush near camp.
日落時，鵪鶉消失在營地附近的灌木叢裡。
- 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
柴枝
砍下後堆放的細枝與小樹枝
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.
園丁把乾柴枝堆在牆邊，準備拿來生火。
brush meaning cut branches
Workers cleared the path and piled the brush near the gate.
工人把小路清開後，將那些柴枝堆在門旁。
After pruning the hedge, Leila tied the brush in bundles.
修剪完樹籬後，Leila 把柴枝綁成一束一束。
Rain soaked the brush, so the campers could not burn it.
雨把那些柴枝全淋濕了，所以營友沒辦法燒。
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.
狐尾
狐狸蓬鬆的尾巴
a fox's long, full tail.
Snow clung to the red fox's brush as it ran.
那隻紅狐狸奔跑時，雪黏在牠的狐尾上。
a fox's brush
The hunter found a fox brush caught under the fence.
獵人發現一道籬笆下卡著一條狐狸的狐尾。
The old hat was decorated with a silver fox brush.
那頂舊帽子上裝飾著一條銀狐的狐尾。
In the painting, the fox lifted its brush above the grass.
在那幅畫裡，狐狸把牠的狐尾高高抬在草上方。
- 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 — 動詞
1. to pass against someone or something with only a slight touch.
輕擦
移動時輕輕碰過
to pass against someone or something with only a slight touch.
Leila's sleeve brushed my arm as she reached for the map.
Leila 伸手去拿地圖時，袖子輕擦過我的手臂。
brush + object in passing
A low branch brushed the bus window on the mountain road.
山路上一根低樹枝輕擦過巴士車窗。
While passing the shelf, Ravi brushed a jar with his elbow.
Ravi 經過架子時，手肘輕輕擦到了一個罐子。
Snowflakes brushed Hana's face when she opened the roof window.
Hana 打開天窗時，雪花輕擦過她的臉。
The ball brushed the post and rolled out of play.
那顆球輕擦到門柱後，滾出了界外。
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.
拂開
用手或刷具掃到一旁
to sweep or flick something away by using your hand or a brush.
Noa brushed wet hair out of her eyes before the race.
Noa 在賽跑前把濕頭髮拂開，不讓它遮住眼睛。
brush + noun + out of + place
The waiter brushed crumbs from the table with a folded towel.
服務生用摺好的毛巾把桌上的麵包屑拂開。
brush + noun + from + surface
Yusuf brushed sand off the picnic blanket after lunch.
午餐後，Yusuf 把野餐毯上的沙子拂掉了。
Priya brushed a tear away and kept reading the letter.
Priya 拂去一滴眼淚後，繼續讀那封信。
At the door, Theo brushed snow from his coat collar.
Theo 站在門口，把外套領子上的雪拂掉。
- 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.
刷洗；梳理
用刷子清潔、梳順或刷平
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.
每天晚上，Bao 都會在十點新聞前刷牙。
brush + teeth
Imani brushed her long hair beside the open window.
Imani 在打開的窗邊梳理她的長髮。
brush + hair
The stable hand brushed the horse clean before the show.
那位馬房工人在表演前把馬刷洗得乾乾淨淨。
Before guests arrived, Sven brushed the steps until they looked new.
客人來之前，Sven 把台階刷到看起來像新的一樣。
After the game, Kofi brushed his white shoes by the sink.
比賽後，Kofi 在水槽旁刷洗他的白鞋。
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.
刷上
用刷子把液體或醬料塗上去
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.
那些派進烤箱前，麵包師先在表面刷上蛋液。
brush + egg over + food
Greta brushed oil onto the grill so the fish would not stick.
Greta 在烤架上刷上油，免得魚黏住。
brush + oil onto + surface
A restorer brushed clear glue along the torn edge.
修復師把透明膠沿著裂口邊緣刷上去。
Before painting, Jin brushed primer onto the old wooden door.
上漆前，Jin 先在舊木門上刷上底漆。
The cook brushed butter across the warm corn with quick strokes.
廚師用俐落的刷法，在熱玉米上刷上奶油。
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'.