brandish

verb

bran·dish | \ ˈbran-dish

brandished; brandishing; brandishes

Definition of brandish

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to shake or wave (something, such as a weapon) menacingly brandished a knife at them

2 : to exhibit in an ostentatious or aggressive manner brandishing her intellect

brandish

noun

Definition of brandish (Entry 2 of 2)

: an act or instance of waving something menacingly or exhibiting something ostentatiously or aggressively : an act or instance of brandishing

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Choose the Right Synonym for brandish

Verb

swing, wave, flourish, brandish, thrash mean to wield or cause to move to and fro or up and down. swing implies regular or uniform movement. swing the rope back and forth wave usually implies smooth or continuous motion. waving the flag flourish suggests vigorous, ostentatious, graceful movement. flourished the winning lottery ticket brandish implies threatening or menacing motion. brandishing a knife thrash suggests vigorous, abrupt, violent movement. an infant thrashing his arms about

Did You Know?

Verb

Most of the time when we encounter the word brandish in print, it is followed by a word for a weapon, such as "knife" or "handgun." That’s appropriate given the word’s etymology: it derives via Middle English braundisshen from brant, braund, the Anglo-French word for "sword." Nowadays you can brandish things other than weapons, however. The figurative usage of brandish rose alongside its earliest literal usage in the 14th century. When you brandish something that isn’t a weapon (such as a sign), you are in effect waving it in someone’s face so that it cannot be overlooked.

Examples of brandish in a Sentence

Verb

She brandished a stick at the dog. I could see that he was brandishing a knife.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Let it be known that in the birthplace of Coca-Cola, USF brandished the program’s first sign of fizz in nearly 11 months. — Joey Knight, orlandosentinel.com, "USF skid reaches eight straight with 14-10 loss to Georgia Tech," 7 Sep. 2019 The Headless Hatchet Lady of Red Rocks Morrison This legendary horror rides horseback, with her coat pulled over her head, brandishing a bloody hatchet. — Tom Noel, The Know, "16 strange, spooky and (mostly) true Colorado stories to tell around a campfire," 24 Aug. 2019 Hillary Clinton can’t just put the word out on the street that somebody in the Metropolitan Correctional Center needs to stop breathing and expect a loyal thug to step up brandishing a bedsheet noose. — Kyle Smith, National Review, "The Conspiracy Theories about Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Don’t Make Much Sense," 12 Aug. 2019 Guns, for them, are not about hunting or self-defense or the frontier spirit or any of the other fig leaves that are brandished every time their true agenda starts to show. — Ryu Spaeth, The New Republic, "Gun Culture Has Always Been About White Supremacy," 4 Aug. 2019 The picture in question, on Northam’s yearbook page, shows two people—one in KKK robes, and one in blackface, both brandishing beer cans. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: “Russia Did Not Help Me!”," 3 Feb. 2019 The second brandishing count adds another 25 years, in addition to the seven years and any other sentence. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Feds threaten 18-year-old with decades in prison in carjacking, bank robbery case," 12 Apr. 2018 According to the law enforcement official, the man apparently did not threaten anyone and did not brandish the knife. — NBC News, "Man wearing bulletproof vest taken into custody outside Israeli Embassy in D.C.," 16 Aug. 2019 In June, Rogers pleaded guilty to choking Alyssa twice— once while brandishing a knife. — Harriet Sokmensuer, PEOPLE.com, "Texas Man Allegedly Murdered Wife, Put Body in Garage Freezer Before Killing Himself," 31 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brandish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for brandish

brandish

verb

English Language Learners Definition of brandish

: to wave or swing (something, such as a weapon) in a threatening or excited manner

See the full definition for brandish in the English Language Learners Dictionary

brandish

verb

bran·dish | \ ˈbran-dish

brandished; brandishing

Kids Definition of brandish

: to wave or shake in a threatening manner

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brandish

Definition of brandish

Choose the Right Synonym for brandish

Did You Know?

Examples of brandish in a Sentence

First Known Use of brandish

History and Etymology for brandish

English Language Learners Definition of brandish

Kids Definition of brandish

brandish

Definition of brandish

Choose the Right Synonym for brandish

Did You Know?

Examples of brandish in a Sentence

First Known Use of brandish

History and Etymology for brandish

English Language Learners Definition of brandish

Kids Definition of brandish

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