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/ˈbɹændɪʃ/ · verb
(transitive) To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill..
He brandished his sword at the pirates.
Hvng be yͤ heauens vvith black, yield day to night; / Comets importing change of Times and States, / Brandiſh your cryſtall Treſſes in the Skie, / And vvith them ſcourge the bad reuolting Stars, / That haue conſented vnto Henries Death: / King Henry the Fift, too famous to liue long, / England ne're loſt a King of ſo much vvorth.
the quivering lance which he brandished bright
Back, he spurred like a madman, shouting a curse to the sky, / With the white road smoking behind him, and his rapier brandished high! / Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat; […]
to brandish syllogisms
It sets the stage for cutting corners in our principles just so we can brandish a perceived badge of stature.
Long, however, the young ſpark did not remain, before, giving it [his penis] two or three ſhakes, by way of brandiſhing it, he threw himſelf upon her, […]
Use brandish when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Brandish means (transitive) To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill..
Common synonyms include flourish, wave.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
He brandished his sword at the pirates.
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