as in waved
to put into view in a threatening or excited manner
She brandished a stick at the dog. brandished a petition signed by hundreds of town residents
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Recent Examples of brandished
Police said after fleeing the hit-and-run scene, Harmon brandished a knife at the man in the 6400 block.
—
Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
The 30-year-old mother was opening the bar when the suspect walked in, brandished a gun and demanded money, WGNTV reported, citing the sheriff’s office.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Fingers are brandished; glutes are flexed.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 5 Feb. 2026
In fact, they hadn’t been brandished, Goetz didn’t know the men were carrying them, and they hadn’t been sharpened at all.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Feb. 2026
Officials did not specify whether Pretti brandished the gun.
—Matt Schubert, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
The altercation and shooting was captured in multiple videos and showed Pretti never brandished his gun and didn’t assault any officer.
—Michael Biesecker, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
One of the suspects allegedly brandished a knife when confronted by a 26-year-old loss prevention officer.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2026
But O'Hara said he's seen no evidence that Pretti brandished a weapon, describing him as someone who appeared to be lawfully recording law enforcement activity while legally carrying a firearm.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
The 30-year-old mother was opening the bar when the suspect walked in, brandished a gun and demanded money, WGNTV reported, citing the sheriff’s office.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Fingers are brandished; glutes are flexed.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 5 Feb. 2026
In fact, they hadn’t been brandished, Goetz didn’t know the men were carrying them, and they hadn’t been sharpened at all.
—Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 1 Feb. 2026
Officials did not specify whether Pretti brandished the gun.
—Matt Schubert, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
The altercation and shooting was captured in multiple videos and showed Pretti never brandished his gun and didn’t assault any officer.
—Michael Biesecker, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
One of the suspects allegedly brandished a knife when confronted by a 26-year-old loss prevention officer.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2026
But O'Hara said he's seen no evidence that Pretti brandished a weapon, describing him as someone who appeared to be lawfully recording law enforcement activity while legally carrying a firearm.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brandished
waved
Verb
-
Canadian fans wearing red waved handheld flags.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The Disney World first-timer waved at Tigger, grinned for photos with Cinderella and faced down stormtroopers on a Star Wars ride.—
Hannah Sampson,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brandished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brandished. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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