give someone the brush-off
give someone the brush-off · gives someone the brush-off · gave someone the brush-off · given someone the brush-off · giving someone the brush-off
To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someoneTo rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.
I asked three different clerks, and they all gave me the brush-off.
Forms
gives someone the brush-off, giving someone the brush-off, gave someone the brush-off, given someone the brush-off| Base form | give someone the brush-off · to give someone the brush-off |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | gives someone the brush-off |
| Present participle | giving someone the brush-off |
| Past simple | gave someone the brush-off |
| Past participle | given someone the brush-off |
irregular · Lesson
Present simpleLesson
| I, you, we, they | give someone the brush-off |
| he, she, it | gives someone the brush-off |
Past simpleLesson
| all persons | gave someone the brush-off |
Present perfectLesson
| I, you, we, they | have given someone the brush-off |
| he, she, it | has given someone the brush-off |
Future simple (will)Lesson
| all persons | will give someone the brush-off |
Synonyms
2 synonymsgive somebody the run-aroundgive somebody the cold shoulder
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.