brush past
B1 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words
To quickly move past someone and just barely touch them as you go.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To move quickly past someone, making only brief or light physical contact with them.
"He brushed past the security guard and disappeared into the crowd."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Very common in narrative fiction and everyday description. Often implies the person is in a hurry or is being intentionally brief in their interaction. Used both with and without an object ('brush past someone' or simply 'brush past').
Commonly used with
shoulder crowd stranger doorway guard secretary
Forms
Base
brush past
I/you/we/they
3rd person
brushes past
he/she/it
Past simple
brushed past
yesterday
Past participle
brushed past
have + pp
-ing form
brushing past
continuous
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