brushes (off)

verb

present tense third-person singular of brush (off)
as in shrugs off

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushes (off)
  1. shrugs off
  2. rejects
  3. dismisses
  4. scorns
Verb
  • The team shrugs off criticism that the end result was overbudget and overdue.
    — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 20 June 2026
  • Once again, Rodrigo shrugs off concern.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Definition of shrugs off
Verb
  • Ogunyemi rejects the notion that encouragement is merely a soft leadership practice that can’t be connected to measurable business outcomes.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government rejects.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • The Heritage Foundation’s Yenor dismisses the notion that elite sports pose any threat to male fertility, observing to SciAm that, since 1990, Super Bowl–winning quarterbacks have had a higher than average number of children.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Democratic lawmakers demand investigations and an oversight visit, alleging dangerous conditions and poor treatment aboard the Lincoln, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismisses the reports as exaggerated and misrepresented.
    — Konstantin Toropin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of dismisses
Verb
  • At a raucous commission meeting Tuesday, City Manager Rickelle Williams faced a storm of withering accusations in her initial job evaluation — mostly from Mayor Dean Trantalis, who eagerly supported hiring Williams last year but now scorns her in public.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2026
  • In character as a free spirit who scorns social convention, Davis is all haughty tosses of the head and sneering lines.
    — Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
Definition of scorns
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

brushes (aside or off)
brushes (off)
brush fire
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brushes (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushes%20%28off%29. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All