brandish

1 of 2

verb

bran·​dish ˈbran-dish 

brandished; brandishing; brandishes

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

2 of 2

noun

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

Did you know?

Often 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 is a descendant of the Middle English braundisshen, which comes from the Anglo-French brant or braund, a word of Germanic origin meaning “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 or a letter), you are in effect waving it in someone’s face so that it cannot be overlooked.

Choose the Right Synonym for brandish

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

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

Before special forces stormed the detention center, one of the hostage takers was shown by the 112 Telegram channel brandishing a knife beside one of the bound guards. —Reuters, NBC News, 16 June 2024

In a twisted take on art imitating life, Paul was booted by Disney in 2017 for causing a nuisance with his own stunts, lighting fires in empty swimming pools, brandishing a T-shirt gun at a reporter, and organizing dirt bike drag races outside his rental house. —Jasmine Ball, Fortune, 15 June 2024

Noun

But the United States would be smarter to withhold carrots than to brandish sticks. —Shadi Hamid, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2023

The image of the grotesque chimera which Beck brandishes is a pointer to this reality, and Beck isn't alone in his incredulity. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2010

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English braundisshen, from Anglo-French brandiss-, stem of brandir, from brant, braund sword, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English brand

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1601, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

brandish

verb

bran·​dish

ˈbran-dish

1

: to shake or wave in a threatening manner

brandish a stick at a dog

2

: to exhibit in a showy or aggressive manner