to brush down
- phrasal verb
- /brʌʃ daʊn/
:
cepillar
- The gardener brushed down the leaves from the patio to keep it clean and tidy.
Examples
-
She used a soft brush to brush down the dusty shelves in the library.
-
OK, then I'm going to take this bristly brush and I'm going to brush down the sides.
-
And then you can brush it down and check it out, see what's up.
-
Daragon brushed down the front of his trainee inspector uniform.
Fiction book (2000) -
Aunt Sybil brushed down the tablecloth fringe where it had tangled.
Fiction book (2000) -
He made a cursory check of his appearance, brushed down the front of his clothes, straightened his dark hair, and walked into the meeting with a stern, tough expression on his face.
Fiction book (2000) -
Before serving dinner, he made sure to brush down the table to remove any crumbs.
Synonyms
433
1.0
To make a room or area free of dirt and tidy by removing mess
242
1.0
To move a brush across something to clean or paint it
227
1.0
To clean a floor or surface by brushing away dirt with a broom
83
1.0
To wash something with water to remove soap or dirt
66
1.0
To remove small dry particles from a surface by wiping or brushing
37
1.0
To clean a floor with a long handle and wet cloth
31
1.0
To remove something from a surface by washing with water or soap
14
1.0
To clean the floor by moving dust and dirt with a broom
10
1.6
To wash something with water to remove soap or dirt
8
1.8
To clean a surface using a cloth or towel to remove a spill
5
2.6
To remove liquid or dirt from a floor with a cloth
1
2.2
To remove dirt or leaves from a place using a broom
1
2.5
To remove dirt or stains by rubbing hard with a brush
1
4.3
To clean a carpet or floor using a vacuum cleaner
1
3.7
Clean a person or surface by rubbing with a wet cloth
1
1.0
To remove dirt or mud from a surface
To remove dust or crumbs quickly with a light movement
To clean a carpet or floor with a vacuum cleaner
To remove dust from rugs by hitting or shaking them
Antonyms
How Clean
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to clean by brushing' is directly derivable from 'brush' (to clean using a brushing motion) plus the directional/particle sense of 'down' (toward or along a lower surface / thoroughly). This compositional motion/particle pattern is common and cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Brush down comes from the simple action of using a brush to remove dust and dirt from something, like brushing a horse or a rug. So brush down means 'to clean a surface by brushing'.