to brush one's teeth
- phrasal verb
:
cepillarse los dientes
- Before going to bed, I always brush my teeth to keep them clean.
Examples
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Make sure you brush your teeth.
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You forgot to brush your teeth.
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I mean, I get up, I brush my teeth.
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Now I have to brush my teeth again.
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Jack, go brush your teeth.
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You have to brush your teeth.
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Are you brushing your teeth?
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Go brush your teeth.
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Brush your teeth.
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The dentist reminded me to brush my teeth at least twice a day.
Antonyms
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to clean one's teeth with a toothbrush' is directly and compositionally built from 'brush' (to clean using a brush) + the possessive 'one's' + 'teeth' (the teeth). This is a straightforward verb + object action common across languages and standard English usage, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will understand it.
Etymology
Brush one's teeth comes from the simple action of using a small brush to rub and clean the teeth. Because people have long used a brush or twig to remove food and dirt, the phrase means 'to clean one's teeth'.