brush down
To straighten up one's clothes and to tidy up one's appearance.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He stopped to brush down his coat before the interview.”
“After walking through the dusty construction site, she took a moment to brush down her suit before meeting the client.”
“Upon arriving at the gala, he paused in the foyer to brush down his tuxedo, ensuring he looked presentable for the evening's formal proceedings.”
- 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 by
To walk past another person, touching them slightly, normally by accident, and ignoring them.
- 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