brush
Word family adjectivebrushedbrushynounbrusherbrushwheelbrushwoodbrushworkbrush
Daily life, Technology, Nature, Animals, Painting and drawing
ldoce_039_gbrush1 /brʌʃ/ ●●● S3 noun 
1 object for cleaning/painting 用于清洁/绘画的东西FOR CLEANING [countableC]DT an object that you use for cleaning, painting, making your hair tidy etc, made with a lot of hairs, bristles, or thin pieces of plastic, fastened to a handle 刷子；毛刷；画笔；毛笔 → broom a scrubbing brush
→ hairbrush, nailbrush, paintbrush, toothbrush →5 see picture at 见图 make-up 硬毛刷，板刷
2 trees 树木BUSHES/TREES [uncountableU]
a) DNsmall bushes and trees that cover an area of land 灌木丛
b) DNbranches that have broken off bushes and trees 〔从树上断落下来的〕柴枝
3 movement 移动 [singular]CLEAN a movement in which you brush something to remove dirt, make something smooth, tidy etc 刷；梳；擦；拂拭
I’ll just give my hair a quick brush.
我就很快梳一下头发。
4 TOUCHtouch 接触 [singular]TOUCH a quick light touch, made by chance when two things or people pass each other 轻触，轻擦
the brush of her silk dress as she walked past
她走过时真丝裙的轻轻擦过
5 AVOID[countableC] a time when you only just avoid an unpleasant situation or argument 〔和不愉快之事等的〕小接触，遭遇
brush with
His first brush with the law came when he was 16.
他第一次差点犯法是在他16岁的时候。
A brush with death can make you appreciate life more.
与死神擦肩而过会让你更加珍惜生命。
6. tail 尾巴FAIL [countableC]HBA the tail of a fox 狐狸尾巴
Examples from the Corpus
brush• Paint on your lip shape with a matching pink lip pencil, or use a brush with pink lipstick.• a brush fire• Suddenly a barrier of logs and brush blocked his path.• Titanium white colour from Brera, Maimeri; no8 Bristlewhite brushes.• By 1952 he was becoming all the more determined that the United States should not be tarred with the colonial brush.• He cut brush and cleared fields of heavy stones.• When I met with Burke in his office last week, he was stamping out the latest political brush fire.• I'll just give my hair a quick brush.• I felt the brush of her sleeve as she walked past.• Use a wire brush to remove the rust.• It's recommended that these are used in conjunction with brushes to keep them from clogging.
give ... brush• After posing for this snapshot, Arsenio gave him the brush off.• Now that Higginbotham has been given the brush off, may I venture to approach you?• Most Brother machines gave weaving brushes which are built in to the sinker plate.• The Oakley gave her the brush of the only fox they broke up that day.
brush with death• Nobody wants to die but a brush with death makes you feel more intensely alive than ever.• Perhaps it was that close brush with death that had sharpened all her senses.• Perhaps that early brush with death endowed the villagers with a greater than normal appreciation for the past.• He knew that what he was feeling didn't have much to do with his brush with death.• Stars danced before my eyes and I kept shaking with fear at my latest brush with death.
brush2 ●●● S3 verb 
1 clean/make tidy 清洁/使整齐 [transitiveT]CLEAN to clean something or make something smooth and tidy using a brush 〔用刷子〕刷；扫；拂拭 → sweep
1 clean/make tidy 清洁/使整齐 [transitiveT]CLEAN to clean something or make something smooth and tidy using a brush 〔用刷子〕刷；扫；拂拭 → sweep Don’t forget to brush your teeth.
不要忘记刷牙。
2 remove 除去 [transitiveT always + adverbadv/prepositionprep]MOVE something OR somebody to remove something with a brush or with your hand 刷掉；拂去
brush something off/from etc something
→5 see picture at 见图 clean2 Ella brushed the crumbs off her jacket.
埃拉掸去她外衣上的面包屑。
He brushed the tears from his eyes.
他拭去眼中的泪水。
3 touch lightly 轻轻触碰 [intransitiveI always + adverbadv/prepositionprep, transitiveT]TOUCH to touch someone or something lightly when passing them 轻擦，触碰
Something brushed her shoulders.
有什么东西掠过她的肩头。
brush against
I felt her hair brush against my arm.
我感到她的头发轻拂过我的胳膊。
brush past
Nell brushed past him in the doorway.
内尔在门道里和他擦肩而过。
4 put STH on STH 把某物放在某物上 [transitiveT always + adverbadv/prepositionprep] to put a liquid onto something using a brush 刷上；涂
→ brush something under the carpet at sweep1(15) PHRASAL VERBSbrush something with something
Brush the pastry with milk.
给酥油面团刷一层牛奶。
brush something over/onto something
Brush a little oil over the top of the pizza.
在比萨饼上面刷一点油。
5 brush somebody/something ↔ aside phrasal verbphr v to refuse to listen to someone, or refuse to consider something 不理会，不顾，漠视 SYN dismiss
He simply brushed all my objections aside.
他根本不顾我的反对。
Examples from the Corpus
brush aside• Because Ludo and I drop our hands to where our holsters would be, and brush our jackets aside.• Marco, rising, brushed him quickly aside.• No wonder the 49ers brushed this game aside.• Seeing her wince, Michele lifted her, brushing her objections aside.• Snow drove against him, but he just brushed it aside.• Impatiently, he brushed the thought aside and concentrated on his own problems.• The King brushed thin opposition aside and left, taking two body squires with him, Patrick Seton and Thomas Erceldoun.• Holmgren brushed the matter aside Monday by saying the sheets got tossed in the trash before the game.
6 brush somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verbphr v
a) CLEANto clean something using a brush 〔用刷子〕刷洗
He was brushing the pony down.
他在刷洗小马驹。
b) brush yourself down to use your hands to remove dirt from your clothes, especially after you have fallen 〔尤在摔跤后〕拍打干净，掸去灰尘
Examples from the Corpus
brush yourself down• Give me a couple of minutes, will you? Brush yourself down while you're waiting.
7 brush somebody/something ↔ off phrasal verbphr v REJECT/NOT ACCEPTto refuse to listen to someone or their ideas, especially by ignoring them or saying something rude 漠视，对...充耳不闻
Corman brushed off the accusations.
→ brush-off 科尔曼对这些指责充耳不闻。
Examples from the Corpus
brush off• It would have been much easier to just brush it off.• Scrub away any residue with water and a stiff brush.• The fact that he'd made love to her and then tried to brush her off.• I brushed it off and placed it in the center of my palm, where it looked tiny and fragile.• This is worth dwelling on, because those who brush quality off as unaffordable abound in the business world as well.• Somebody brushes sand off his drum, as trumpets ooze.• He did not bother to brush the dirt off his knees.• She brushed dust off the toe.
8 brush up (on) something phrasal verbphr v IMPROVEto practise and improve your skills or your knowledge of something that you learned in the past 温习，复习
I must brush up on my French before I go to Paris.
去巴黎之前，我要好好温习一下法语。
Examples from the Corpus
brush up (on) • I have already said how little I knew about cancer, and I now began to brush up on it.• For the province's future Olympic hopefuls have been brushing up on skills both on and off the sports fields.• Public libraries frequently have computers that people can use to brush up on their skills.• The guide can be used an introduction to the hobby or as a means to brush up skills.
Examples from the Corpus
brush• As she passed, her bare arm brushed against his arm, sending a shiver down his spine.• I felt something brush against the back of my head.• Even Marshall had brushed aside all suggestions of having a few minutes to spare to give Harbury something exclusive.• Conference-goers, though, brushed aside the news as a blip on the political radar screen.• When it was cut into ravioli, I decided, I would brush each one very lightly with egg white.• The warm evening air brushed her face and tugged at her hair as the car sped south.• She stopped when something soft and fluttery brushed her face.• I brushed his back surreptitiously as I walked past.• Bernard brushed his hands together then walked back to the door.• Use small strokes to brush on the paint.• The car brushed the bush at the end of the driveway.• I brushed the crumbs off the sofa.• Brush the dough with melted butter.• The car brushed the hedges on both sides of the narrow lane.• You should brush your jacket -- it's covered in dust.• Have you brushed your teeth yet?• It's time for you kids to go brush your teeth.
1. (1300-1400) Early French broisse, from Old French broce ( → BRUSH12); probably because branches from bushes and trees were used to make brushes.
2. (1300-1400) Old French broce “broken branches, brushwood”