brush down

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see brush, down. To remove something with a brush, or ones hands using a downward brushing motion.

“After tripping over, he picked himself up, brushed himself down, and carried on walking.”

Similar
tell off
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

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

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

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see brush, down. To remove something with a brush, or ones hands using a downward brushing motion.
  2. idiomaticTo straighten up one's clothes and to tidy up one's appearance.

    After tripping over, he picked himself up, brushed himself down, and carried on walking.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbreprimand

Similar
tell off
Broader
call on the carpettake to taskrebuke
Also see
tell off

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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