brush by
To walk past another person, touching them slightly, normally by accident, and ignoring them.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He brushed by me in the hallway without saying sorry.”
“The crowd was so thick that people constantly brushed by me while I waited for the train.”
“She hurried through the busy station, barely noticing the strangers who brushed by her as she rushed to catch the final departure.”
- 01
broad brush
A style or approach that deals with something in very general, sweeping terms, without attention to fine details or subtle nuances.
- 02
brush aside
To disregard, dismiss or ignore something, as unimportant.
- 03
brush down
To straighten up one's clothes and to tidy up one's appearance.
- 04
brush off
To disregard (something), to dismiss or ignore (someone), as unimportant.
- 05
brush up
To review; to improve an existing but rusty or underdeveloped skill.
- 06
live over the brush
To cohabit without being married.
- 07
paint with a broad brush
To describe a class of objects or a kind of phenomenon in general terms, without specific details and without attention to individual variations.
Last updated August 10, 2026