BRANDISHING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

brandishing

verb

present participle of brandish

as in waving

to put into view in a threatening or excited manner She brandished a stick at the dog. brandished a petition signed by hundreds of town residents

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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.

Recent Examples of brandishing Other, less cartoonish responses have lingered on Cambridge’s comparable glee in brandishing Arday in the first place. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026 All three of the suspects were also acquitted of one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and one count of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, prosecutors said. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Video that same night captured a federal officer, his face swollen and bloodied, brandishing a gun as people began to scream. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 Dixson was charged by a federal indictment in November 2025 with one count of kidnapping, one count of carjacking and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2026 Joseph Henrichsen also faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge of assaulting a federal employee with a deadly weapon, up to seven years for brandishing a weapon during a crime of violence and up to one year for assaulting a federal officer. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Joseph Henrichsen now faces additional charges of assaulting a federal employee with a deadly weapon, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer, the release said. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 31 July 2026 The 911 call placed from the teenager’s phone last week reported a young person who may be brandishing a gun in an Austin, Texas, parking lot. — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 30 July 2026 Prior to the incident, an individual brandishing a knife outside the museum’s entrance was threatening pedestrians, prompting a bystander to place an emergency call to authorities, according to eyewitnesses and authorities. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 21 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brandishing

Verb

The midfielder was booked for waving an imaginary yellow card, shown a straight red for violent conduct and also gave away a goal.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The last sidebar called by the judge before lunch appeared intense, with Reddington seen waving his hands a few times.

— NBC News, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of waving

Verb

Both Daltrey and Starkey have made public statements announcing and confirming the somewhat surprising musical reconciliation.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026
But the retail historian in me has never been able to let go of the fact that the chart is wrong, and that the wire story announcing Walmart's rise in 1991 was wrong in exactly the same way.

— Jason Goldberg, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of announcing

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brandishes

brandishing

brand name

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“Brandishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brandishing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of brandishing

verb

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