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1[countable] an object made of short stiff hairs (calledbristle) or wires set in a block of wood or plastic, usually attached to a handle. Brushes are used for many different jobs, such as cleaning, painting, and arranging your hair a paintbrush a hairbrush a toothbrush brush strokes (= the marks left by a brush when painting) a dustpan and brush Apply the paint with a fine brush.
- 2[singular] an act of brushing to give your teeth a good brush
- 3[uncountable] land covered by small trees or bushes a brush fire
- 4[singular] a light touch made in passing something or someone the brush of his lips on her cheek
- 5[countable] brush with somebody/something a short unfriendly meeting with someone; an occasion when you nearly experience something unpleasant She had a nasty brush with her boss this morning. In his job he's had frequent brushes with death. a brush with the law
- 6[countable] the tail of a fox Idioms
to be thought to have the same faults, etc. as someone else
to describe something in a general way, ignoring the details
Check pronunciation: brush