give someone the brush-off

verb

To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.

“I asked three different clerks, and they all gave me the brush-off.”

Similar
give somebody the run-aroundgive somebody the cold shoulder
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Meanings

verbgive someone the brush-off (third-person singular simple present gives someone the brush-off, present participle giving someone the brush-off, simple past gave someone the brush-off, past participle given someone the brush-off)

present singular third person gives someone the brush-off · participle present giving someone the brush-off · past gave someone the brush-off · participle past given someone the brush-off

  1. idiomaticintransitiveTo rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.

    I asked three different clerks, and they all gave me the brush-off.

    Synonyms: give somebody the run-around, give somebody the cold shoulder

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.

Similar
give somebody the run-aroundgive somebody the cold shoulder
Also see
cut someone dead
Cite this entry
APA

give someone the brush-off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20the%20brush-off

MLA

“give someone the brush-off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20the%20brush-off. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “give someone the brush-off,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20the%20brush-off.

Source: give someone the brush-off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.