BRUSHES (OFF) Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

brushes (off)

verb

present tense third-person singular of brush (off)

as in shrugs off

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for brushes (off)

Verb

Turkey’s government insists its courts are independent as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shrugs off European rulings, a stance that has already fueled a diplomatic clash with Western ambassadors over Kavala’s detention.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The team shrugs off criticism that the end result was overbudget and overdue.

— Lauren Victory, CBS News, 20 June 2026

Definition of shrugs off

Verb

So when Alex rejects the author of a romantasy novel entitled The Goblin Seed that turns out to be a bestseller, all hell breaks loose.

— Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 24 Aug. 2026
Manjari Sihare-Sutin, who heads Sotheby’s South Asian Modern and Contemporary department, said her team rejects an average of two works ahead of every sale because of authenticity concerns.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejects

Verb

After roll call and then assisting a man who sought to change his address, Judge Cho dismisses the other immigrants without speaking to them individually.

— Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2026
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

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

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“Brushes (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brushes%20%28off%29. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of brushes (off)

verb

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