the brush-off

noun phrase

informal

: rude treatment or behavior by someone who is not interested at all in what another person wants or asks for

I wanted to ask him about his decision but he gave me the brush-off.

I got the brush-off when I asked her for help.

Examples of the brush-off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Lynch sometimes ventures outside the RV to try and recruit smokers lingering around the clinic’s locations in Pennsylvania, but usually receives the brush-off. —

Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024

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“The brush-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20brush-off. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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