brush away
B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To gently sweep something away with your hand or a brush.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To remove something from a surface or from yourself with a light sweeping movement of the hand or a brush.
"She brushed away the crumbs from her lap before standing up."
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
neutral
To try to dismiss or suppress a feeling, thought, or emotion as if physically sweeping it aside.
"He brushed away his doubts and knocked on the interview door."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Used both literally (brushing crumbs away) and figuratively (brushing away sad memories). The figurative sense is more literary. Common in both British and American English.
Commonly used with
crumbs tears dust hair memories flies
Forms
Base
brush away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
brushes away
he/she/it
Past simple
brushed away
yesterday
Past participle
brushed away
have + pp
-ing form
brushing away
continuous
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