to brush on

1 3.8

To put a liquid or soft substance on a surface with a brush

phrasal verb
/brʌʃ ɑn/

: aplicar

I then made a sauce of 3 tablespoons of grainy mustard and 1/3 cup of leftover dry white wine to brush on top of the birds.
brush on a coat
brush on a layer
brush on paint

Examples

Now I'm going in with my Moda Pro glow brush on this side.
Let me just try my brush on the other side and just dab that in.
And let it brush on your skin.
I'm going to tap using a shadow brush on the sides of my nose.
So just going in with small brush on any little blemishes or marks.
After the surface had dried, I brushed on two coats of acrylic gray, which was as close to a number five value "gray" as I could mix, using black acrylic and the white of the gesso.

Blog text (29)
Let it dry for a minute, then brush on two layers of polish.
Once you're dressed, brush on a light layer of base coat and let it dry for 60 seconds.
After I have completed the painting, I brush on retouch varnish to even out the surface gloss.

Synonyms

to paint

vsto brush on

854 1.0

To put coloured liquid on a surface to protect or change how it looks

covers all substances applied with bristled tool, not only colored liquids

to apply

vsto brush on

263 1.3

Put a substance onto a surface to cover it

is done using a bristled tool rather than any general method

to brush

vsto brush on

242 1.0

To move a brush across something to clean or paint it

is done specifically using a bristled tool to place a substance

to wash

vsto brush on

Specialized

25 6.8

To cover something with a thin layer of paint or metal

focuses on using a bristled tool rather than emphasizing thinness

to spray paint

vsto brush on

7 2.8

To put paint on a surface from a small can that makes a fine mist

requires direct bristled contact rather than spraying from an aerosol can

to slap on

vsto brush on

Informal

6 4.5

Put on paint or cream quickly and without care

is done carefully with controlled strokes using a bristled tool

to sponge on

vsto brush on

6.2

To put liquid or paint on a surface using a sponge

uses a bristled tool instead of a porous pad for application

to clap on

vsto brush on

7.2

To put a quick layer of something like sunscreen or paint on without care

involves deliberate bristled tool movement rather than slapping actions

Antonyms

to remove

∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

How Thick

to slather

Informal

15 6.9

to coat

105 2.8

to paint

854 1.0

to brush on

1 3.8

to dab

11 2.8

Surface Forms

brush on infinitive

brushed on past

brushed on past participle

brushing on present participle

brushes on third person singular

Morphology

brush + on

The meaning 'to apply a substance to a surface using a brush' is directly derivable from 'brush' (to use a brush) combined with 'on' (onto/against a surface). This compositional pattern (verb + particle indicating direction/location) is common in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer this meaning.

Etymology

Brush on comes from the simple image of using a brush to put something on a surface, like painting or brushing melted butter on food. That's why it means 'to apply a substance to a surface using a brush'.