Standard Lemma guide

toothbrush

noun · verb · 4 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ˈtʉwθ.bɹʌʃ/
  • Northern-England: /ˈtuːθ.bɹʊʃ/
  • Wales: /ˈtuːθ.bɾəʃ/
  • Scotland: /ˈtʉθ.bɾʌʃ/
  • Northern-Ireland: /ˈtʉθ.bɻʌʃ/
  • General-American: /ˈtuθ.bɹʌʃ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈtʉːθ.bɹɐʃ/
  • CMU ARPABET: T UW1 TH B R AH0 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A brush, used with toothpaste, for cleaning the teeth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To clean or scrub with a toothbrush.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

small brush; has long handle; used to clean teeth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: brush, toiletry, toilet articles

Narrower terms: electric toothbrush

4

noun

Meaning 4

slang for a mustache

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: soup-strainer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mustache, moustache

History

Etymology

From tooth + brush. Compare Saterland Frisian Tuskebäärsel (“toothbrush”), West Frisian toskboarstel (“toothbrush”), Dutch tandenborstel (“toothbrush”), German Zahnbürste (“toothbrush”), Danish tandbørste (“toothbrush”), Swedish tandborste (“toothbrush”), Icelandic tannbursti (“toothbrush”).

Across languages

Translations

119 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: tandeborsel — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Ainu: ニマキシルシルㇷ゚ (nimaki-shiru-shirup) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Albanian: furçë dhëmbësh — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Arabic: فُرْشَاة أَسْنَان (furšāt ʔasnān) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Armenian: ատամի խոզանակ (atami xozanak) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Azerbaijani: diş fırçası — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Belarusian: зубна́я шчо́тка (zubnája ščótka) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Bengali: টুথব্রাশ (ṭuthobraś) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Central Bikol: sipilyo — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Breton: broust-dent — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Bulgarian: че́тка за зъ́́би (čétka za zǎ́́bi) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Bulgarian: че́тка за зъби́ (čétka za zǎbí) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Burmese: သွားပွတ်တံ (swa:pwattam) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Catalan: raspall de dents — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Catalan: raspallet — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Catalan: raspallet de les dents — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Chinese Cantonese: 牙刷 (ngaa4 caat3) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Hakka Chinese: 牙搓仔 (ngà-chho-é) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Chinese: 齒抿仔 /齿抿仔 (zh-min-nan) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Chinese: 齒抿 /齿抿 (khí-bín, khí-bián) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Chinese Mandarin: 牙刷 (yáshuā) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • West Circassian: цэлъэкӏ (cɛlsɛkʼ) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Czech: zubní kartáček — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Danish: tandbørste — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Daur: яашваас (jaašvaas) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Dolgan: тиис һуунар — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Dutch: tandenborstel — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Elfdalian: tannbuost — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Esperanto: dentobroso — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Estonian: hambahari — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Faroese: tannbust — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Finnish: hammasharja — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • French: brosse à dents — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Galician: cepillo de dentes — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Georgian: კბილის ჯაგრისი (ḳbilis ǯagrisi) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • German: Zahnbürste — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Greek: οδοντόβουρτσα (odontóvourtsa) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Greenlandic: kigutinut saligut — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Gujarati: ટૂથબ્રશ (ṭūthabraś) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Hebrew: מִבְרֶשֶׁת שִׁנַּיִם (mivréshet shináyim) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Hindi: टूथब्रश (ṭūthabraś) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Hindi: दाँत का बुरुश (dā̃t kā buruś) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Hungarian: fogkefe — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Icelandic: tannbursti — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Ido: dento-brosilo — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Indonesian: sikat gigi — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Irish: scuab fiacla — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Italian: spazzolino da denti — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Japanese: 歯ブラシ (haburashi) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Kapampangan: sipan — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Kapampangan: sipilyu — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Kazakh: тіс щеткасы (tıs şetkasy) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Kazakh: тіс қылшағы (tıs qylşağy) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Khmer: ច្រាសដុសធ្មេញ (craah doh thmɨñ) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Korean: 칫솔 (chitsol) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Northern Kurdish: rineka diranan — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Northern Kurdish: firça diranan — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Kyrgyz: тиш щеткасы (tiş şcetkası) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Lao: ໄມ້ຖູແຂ້ວ (mai thū khǣu) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Lao: ແປງສີຟັນ (pǣng sī fan) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Latvian: zobu suka — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Latvian: zobubirste — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Latvian: zobu birste — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Lithuanian: dantų šepetukas — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Luxembourgish: Zännbiischt — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Macedonian: четка за заби (četka za zabi) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Malay: berus gigi — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Maltese: xkupilja tas-snien — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Māori: taitai niho — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Māori: paraihe niho — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Mohawk: iontenawirohareʼtáhkhwa — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Mongolian: шүдний сойз (šüdnii sojz) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Navajo: awooʼ bee yichʼiishí — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Norman: brînge à dents — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tannbørste — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tannkost — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tannbørste — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Oromo: rigaa — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Pashto: مسواک (moswāk) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Pashto: غاښ موښی (ǧāẍ muẍay) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Pashto: کنځه (kanja) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Dari: بُرْسِ دَنْدَان (burs-i dandān) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Dari: مِسْوَاک (miswāk) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Iranian Persian: مِسْواک (mesvâk) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Polish: szczoteczka do zębów — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Portuguese: escova de dentes — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Romanian: periuță de dinți — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Romansh: barschun da dents — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Russian: зубна́я щётка (zubnája ščótka) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Northern Sami: bátnegusta — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Scottish Gaelic: bruis-fhiaclan — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Serbo-Croatian: четкица за зубе — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Serbo-Croatian: četkica za zube — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Slovak: zubná kefka — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Slovene: zobna krtačka — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Lower Sorbian: zubna bjerštka — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Lower Sorbian: zubna šćotka — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Upper Sorbian: zubna šćětka — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Spanish: cepillo de dientes — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Spanish: escobilla de dientes — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Swahili: mswaki — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Swedish: tandborste — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Tagalog: sipilyo — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Tajik: чӯткаи дандоншӯй (čütka-yi dandonšüy) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Thai: แปรงสีฟัน (bprɛɛng-sǐi-fan) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Tibetan: སོ་ཁྲུ (so khru) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Turkish: diş fırçası — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Ottoman Turkish: دیش فرچهسی (diş fırçası) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Turkmen: diş çotgasy — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Ukrainian: зубна́ щі́тка (zubná ščítka) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Urdu: ٹُوتھ بُرَش (ṭūth buraś) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Uyghur: چىش چوتكىسى (chish chotkisi) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Uzbek: tish choʻtkasi — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Vietnamese: bàn chải đánh răng — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Vietnamese: bàn chải (contextual) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Volapük: tutikef — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Welsh: brwsh dannedd — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Yiddish: ציינבערשטל (tseynbershtl) — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue
  • Zhuang: ngazcat — brush for cleaning the teeth and tongue