Meaning & use
wire brush
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A brush with stiff metal bristles, used to scrape off rust, paint or dirt from hard surfaces.
Grammar: Countable: a wire brush, two wire brushes.
Patterns
- clean something with a wire brush
He scrubbed the rusty gate with a wire brush before painting it.
A wire brush is handy for cleaning the barbecue grill.
She fitted a wire brush to her drill to strip the old paint.
verbtransitive
To scrub or clean a surface using a brush with metal bristles.
Grammar: Takes an object: wire brush the bolts.
Patterns
- wire brush something
Wire brush the corroded terminals until the metal shines.
We wire brushed the old deck before staining it.
Word forms
| plural | wire brushes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | wire brushes |
| past tense | wire brushed |
| -ing form | wire brushing |
Common combinations
- steel wire brush
- A steel wire brush will remove the flaking rust.
- scrub with a wire brush
- Scrub the grill with a wire brush while it is still warm.
- wire brush attachment
- The drill came with a wire brush attachment.
- stiff wire brush
- Use a stiff wire brush on the concrete stains.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scrubbing brush
- A scrubbing brush usually has plastic or natural bristles for household cleaning, so it is gentler than a wire brush.
- scraper
- A scraper has a flat blade that lifts material off, whereas a wire brush rubs with bristles.
- steel wool
- Steel wool is a pad of fine metal threads for polishing, while a wire brush has a handle and coarser bristles.
Word family
Commonly confused: wire brush or wire wool?
wire brush vs wire wool
Wire wool is a soft tangle of fine metal strands, not a brush with a handle.
Practice
You need to remove flaking rust from an old iron railing. Which tool is most suitable?
Choose one answer.
A wire brush has stiff metal bristles that can scrape off rust. A sponge or duster is too soft to do the job.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wire brush”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.