Brush

an implement consisting of bristles, hair, or the like, set in or attached to a handle, used for painting, cleaning, polishing, grooming, etc.
one of a pair of devices consisting of long, thin handles with wire bristles attached, used in jazz or dance bands for keeping a soft, rhythmic beat on the trap drums or the cymbals.
the bushy tail of an animal, especially of a fox.
Electricity.

a conductor, often made of carbon or copper or a combination of the two, serving to maintain electric contact between stationary and moving parts of a machine, generator, or other apparatus.
brush discharge.

a feathery or hairy tuft or tassel, as on the tip of a kernel of grain or on a man’s hat.
an act or instance of brushing; application of a brush.
a light, stroking touch.
a brief encounter:
He has already had one brush with the law.
a close approach, especially to something undesirable or harmful:
a brush with disaster.
to sweep, paint, clean, polish, etc., with a brush.
to touch lightly in passing; pass lightly over:
His lips brushed her ear.
to remove by brushing or by lightly passing over:
His hand brushed a speck of lint from his coat.
to move or skim with a slight contact.
brush aside, to disregard; ignore:
Our complaints were simply brushed aside.
brush off, to rebuff; send away:
She had never been brushed off so rudely before.
brush up on, to revive, review, or resume (studies, a skill, etc.):
She’s thinking of brushing up on her tennis.
Also, brush up.
get the brush, to be rejected or rebuffed:
She greeted Jim effusively, but I got the brush.
give the brush, to ignore, rebuff, etc.:
If you’re still angry with him, give him the brush.
a dense growth of bushes, shrubs, etc.; scrub; thicket.
a pile or covering of lopped or broken branches; brushwood.
bushes and low trees growing in thick profusion, especially close to the ground.
Also called brushland. land or an area covered with thickly growing bushes and low trees.
backwoods; a sparsely settled wooded region.
Katharine, 1902–52, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.
Contemporary Examples

A Short Post About Jesse Jackson Jr Michael Tomasky February 19, 2013
Behind ‘The Good Girls Revolt’: The ‘Newsweek’ Lawsuit That Paved the Way for Women Writers Jessica Bennett, Jesse Ellison September 10, 2012
Mitt Romney Smacks Newt Gingrich in Florida Brawl at NBC Debate Howard Kurtz January 23, 2012
Burma’s First Girl Band Pushes Boundaries Heidi Mitchell April 4, 2012
Forced to Cheer for Her Attacker Jessica Bennett September 14, 2011

Historical Examples

The Cauliflower A. A. Crozier
The White Company Arthur Conan Doyle
Girl Scouts at Dandelion Camp Lillian Elizabeth Roy
The Trail Book Mary Austin
Early American Plays Oscar Wegelin

noun
a device made of bristles, hairs, wires, etc, set into a firm back or handle: used to apply paint, clean or polish surfaces, groom the hair, etc
the act or an instance of brushing
a light stroke made in passing; graze
a brief encounter or contact, esp an unfriendly one; skirmish
the bushy tail of a fox, often kept as a trophy after a hunt, or of certain breeds of dog
an electric conductor, esp one made of carbon, that conveys current between stationary and rotating parts of a generator, motor, etc
a dark brush-shaped region observed when a biaxial crystal is viewed through a microscope, caused by interference between beams of polarized light
verb
(transitive) to clean, polish, scrub, paint, etc, with a brush
(transitive) to apply or remove with a brush or brushing movement: brush the crumbs off the table
(transitive) to touch lightly and briefly
(intransitive) to move so as to graze or touch something lightly
noun
a thick growth of shrubs and small trees; scrub
land covered with scrub
broken or cut branches or twigs; brushwood
wooded sparsely populated country; backwoods
n.
v.

A mustache (1820s+)
A fight; squabble; disagreement: have had drug or alcohol problems, and have experienced a ”brush with the law” (1840s+)

brush aside
brush off
brush up