have a brush with

Idioms  

1. Have an encounter or come in conflict with, as in This was not the first time that Bob had a brush with the law. This expression alludes to the noun brush in the sense of “a hostile collision,” a usage dating from about 1400.

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Example Sentences

For many users who have a brush with the law, court-mandated treatment and the threat of worse outcomes in the future are enough to set them on the right track.

From Washington Post • Apr. 10, 2023

It can be awe-inspiring for a young player to have a brush with a famous college coach, such as when Edge met Penn State Coach James Franklin at a camp.

From Washington Post • Nov. 21, 2019

"When you have a brush with death, you can approach it two ways," notes a Disney executive.

From Time Magazine Archive

I have received information that the French and Spanish fleets are off Cape Trafalgar; and our fellows are likely to have a brush with them soon, if they haven’t had it already.”

From Hair-Breadth Escapes The Adventures of Three Boys in South Africa by Adams, H.C.

"What I meant was that it was a shame that Hooker was coming just at this moment, and that we could not have a brush with those rebels on horseback, yonder."

From Shoulder-Straps A Novel of New York and the Army, 1862 by Morford, Henry