brandish

Plural: brandishes

Noun

the act of waving
The act of flourishing or waving.

Verb

Verb Forms: brandished, brandishing, brandishes

To wave or flourish something, especially a weapon, in a threatening way.
move or swing back and forth
exhibit aggressively
- "brandish a sword"
To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill.
To bear something with ostentatious show.

Examples

He brandished his sword at the pirates.
He would BRANDISH his high-scoring tiles, subtly hinting at an impending powerful play.
to brandish syllogisms

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English braundischen, from Old French brandiss-, stem of brandir (“to flourish a sword”), from Frankish *brandijan, from Frankish *brand (“firebrand; sword”), from Proto-Germanic *brandaz (“fire; flame; sword”), whence Old English brand (“firebrand; torch”); equivalent to brand + -ish. More at brand.

Synonyms

flourish, wave

Scrabble Score: 14

brandish: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
brandish: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
brandish: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

brandish: valid Words With Friends Word