brandish
/ˈbɹændɪʃ/verb, noun
brandish is spelled B-R-A-N-D-I-S-H: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, brandish means “To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in brandish?
| Letters | 8: B-R-A-N-D-I-S-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 74,980th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is brandish?
Brandish appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce brandish?
- /ˈbɹændɪʃ/
Brandish has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-brandish.ogg, En-au-brandish.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of brandish
- brandishes present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- brandishing participle, present
- brandished participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does brandish mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move or swing a weapon back and forth, particularly if demonstrating anger, threat or skill.
He brandished his sword at the pirates.
- 2
To bear something with ostentatious show.
to brandish syllogisms
noun
- 1
The act of flourishing or waving.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Brandish in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | brandir |
| German | schwingen, schwenken, hantieren, führen , vorzeigen, ausstellen |
| Portuguese | brandir |
| Spanish | esgrimir, blandir |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does brandish come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).