to brush up
22
3.7
- phrasal verb
- /brʌʃ ʌp/
:
repasar
- To prepare for the exam, she decided to brush up on her math skills by practicing problems every evening.
So I went back and brushed up on sort of Jewish rituals and.
- So I went back and brushed up on sort of Jewish rituals and.
- They've also got their own podcast, so you can brush up on your French and Spanish on the go.
- But I would really encourage people who aren't familiar with this legislation to brush up on the law, brush up on what what you can do.
- My word, I need to brush up on my sizes.
- I've recently been brushing up my French with Babel and no Gene Regrettoria.
Examples
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Yes, and brush up on your interpersonal relations.
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We have to brush up on your hospitality skills.
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I just need to step in and brush up a bit.
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I might need to brush up.
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I gotta brush up on the steps.
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Why not take a moment to brush up on what the law requires?
Blog text (19) -
Brush up on your Italian.
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I'm going to get some books to brush up on my Korean.
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I went out and bought a sailing manual to brush up on the terminology.
Academic text (2013) -
Whether you want to learn coding in Python, how large language models work, or brush up your physics, Brilliant has you covered.
Synonyms
106
1.8
To study something again to remember it better
50
2.8
Help someone or yourself remember something forgotten
34
1.8
To become more skilled in an activity by practicing
22
4.1
To make something better by small changes
19
3.5
Review and improve what you know about something you have not used for a while
4
3.5
Make something better by practicing or fixing it
Antonyms
How Skilled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to improve or refresh knowledge' is a metaphorical extension of 'brush' (to clean/refresh) combined with 'up' (completion or improvement). Although the constituents give a plausible cue of 'tidying/refreshing' something, the specific phrasal-verb sense 'brush up (on)' as 'review/relearn' is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The phrasal verb brush up comes from the simple image of using a brush to clean or touch up something, like brightening a painting or brushing dust off a coat. One popular picture is of quickly tidying a surface to make it look new again, so today brush up means 'to refresh or improve' your knowledge or skill.