brush aside

British

verb

(tr, adverb) to dismiss without consideration; disregard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

brush aside Idioms

Disregard, ignore, as in The teacher brushed aside our questions.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

US President Donald Trump said Monday he was not concerned about China's live-fire military drills around Taiwan, appearing to brush aside the possibility of counterpart Xi Jinping ordering an invasion.

From Barron's • Dec. 29, 2025

Take away that clear line of accountability, and early warnings are easy to ignore or brush aside deliberately.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

"As the music began, my hand set the brush aside and I dipped my finger into the soft, pliant paint," she said.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025

Mr. Schumer suggested the deadline was an inconvenience that Congress should brush aside.

From Washington Times • Apr. 27, 2023

I strove to wake, to brush aside those pathetic flutterings, but strive as I would I could not...at last I sat up, sleep and dream alike banished, wide awake now.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023