Meaning & use
brushing
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The action of cleaning, smoothing or tidying something with a brush, such as teeth or hair.
Grammar: Uncountable: regular brushing is important, not 'a brushing' for this sense.
Patterns
- brushing your teeth
- brushing of something
Brushing your teeth twice a day prevents cavities.
Daily brushing keeps the dog's coat smooth and shiny.
Regular brushing of the stairs kept the dust down.
noununcountable
A scam in which a seller posts unordered cheap goods to a stranger so the seller can then write fake positive reviews in that person's name.
Grammar: Uncountable and used as a name for the scam: she was a victim of brushing.
Patterns
- a case of brushing
- a victim of brushing
Brushing explains why she received a parcel she never ordered.
Online stores warn customers about brushing, which can inflate product ratings.
He reported the mystery package as a case of brushing.
Common combinations
- regular brushing
- Regular brushing protects your gums.
- brushing scam
- A brushing scam sent me a box of cheap earbuds.
- gentle brushing
- Gentle brushing is better for sensitive teeth.
- brushing and flossing
- Brushing and flossing should be part of a daily routine.
- victim of brushing
- She became a victim of brushing without knowing it.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: brushing or blushing?
brushing vs blushing
Blushing is turning red in the face from embarrassment, and differs from brushing only by the l.
Practice
A woman receives a package of cheap earbuds she never ordered, and soon sees a glowing review in her name. This is an example of:
Choose one answer.
Brushing is the scam where sellers send unordered goods to create fake reviews. The other options are real words but have nothing to do with parcels or reviews.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “brushing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.