1 A2 neutral
To sweep or smooth hair away from the face in a backward direction.
"He brushed back his wet hair and looked in the mirror."
separable
brush back
B2 neutral separable transitive
To sweep hair backwards away from the face; or (baseball) to throw a pitch that forces a batter to move away from the plate.
In plain English
To push your hair back away from your face, or in baseball, to throw the ball close to make the batter step back.
What does "brush back" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic neutral
(Baseball) To throw a pitch deliberately close to the batter's body to force them to step back from home plate.
"The pitcher brushed back the slugger with a fastball inside."
separable
Usage tip
The hair-styling sense is universal and everyday. The baseball sense ('brushback pitch') is specific to North American sports commentary and may be unfamiliar to non-American learners.
Words that pair with "brush back"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
hair fringe bangs batter pitch strand
How to conjugate "brush back"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
brush back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
brushes back
he/she/it
Past simple
brushed back
yesterday
Past participle
brushed back
have + pp
-ing form
brushing back
continuous
Hear "brush back" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "brush back" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.