Standard Lemma guide

brush-off

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An abrupt rebuff, a snub or curt rejection, a disdainful dismissal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • A halfhearted “thank you” may be a brush-off.
  • For the first time, we in the SF ghetto are beginning to get criticism – not brush-offs from literary snobs.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a curt or disdainful rejection

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: rejection

History

Etymology

Deverbal from brush off.