brush by

verb

To walk past another person, touching them slightly, normally by accident, and ignoring them.

“The production manager brushed by me on the stairs. He seemed to be in a real hurry.”

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Meanings

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

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

  1. idiomaticTo walk past another person, touching them slightly, normally by accident, and ignoring them.

    The production manager brushed by me on the stairs. He seemed to be in a real hurry.

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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