Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

give someone the brush-off

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.19 in modern English

Syllables
give -some-one the brush-off
IPA
42
Scrabble Score
22
Letters
4
Syllables
14
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Usage

Inflected Forms

gives someone the brush-off (present, singular) giving someone the brush-off (participle, present) gave someone the brush-off (past) given someone the brush-off (participle, past)

Synonyms

give somebody the run-around give somebody the cold shoulder

Questions

What does give someone the brush-off mean?
To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.

How to pronounce give someone the brush-off

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “give someone the brush-off”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “give someone the brush-off”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “give someone the brush-off” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.