brush aside

verb

To disregard, dismiss or ignore something, as unimportant.

“He brushed aside all my objections and went ahead with the project regardless.”

Meanings

verbbrush aside (third-person singular simple present brushes aside, present participle brushing aside, simple past and past participle brushed aside)

present singular third person brushes aside · participle present brushing aside · participle past brushed aside · past brushed aside

  1. transitiveTo disregard, dismiss or ignore something, as unimportant.

    He brushed aside all my objections and went ahead with the project regardless.

    1 more example

    The news media here report that the airline at first brushed aside the episode, saying it was Ms. Cho’s job to discipline flight attendants.

    2014 December 31, Martin Fackler, “Court Orders Arrest of Ex-Executive at Korean Airlines Over ‘Nut Rage’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
  2. transitiveTo defeat with ease.

    The ease with which Stoke brushed aside their Israeli opponents bodes well for the return fixture in early November, when a win could could secure their passage to the last 32.

    2011 October 20, Michael da Silva, “Stoke 3 - 0 Macc Tel-Aviv”, in BBC Sport

Synonyms & antonyms

verbbar from attention or consideration

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

brush aside. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brush%20aside

MLA

“brush aside.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brush%20aside. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brush aside,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brush%20aside.

Source: brush aside on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.