What does "brass" mean?
A metallic alloy of copper and zinc used in many industrial and plumbing applications.; A memorial or sepulchral tablet usually made of brass or latten: a monumental brass.
Brass
/bɹɑːs/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A metallic alloy of copper and zinc used in many industrial and plumbing applications.; A memorial or sepulchral tablet usually made of brass or latten: a monumental brass.
- Grammar: brass is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: brass section, adc, administration, aide.
- Useful contrasts: cautious, cellos, humble.
- Usage evidence: Gold is similar in color to brass.
How to use "brass"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "brass" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "brass" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "brass" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "brass" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "brass" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "brass section" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "brass", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A metallic alloy of copper and zinc used in many industrial and plumbing applications.; A memorial or sepulchral tablet usually made of brass or latten: a monumental brass. countable, uncountable, usually
- 2 A prostitute. countable, slang, usually
"Richard didn't want the man on the corner to go up and fuck one of the brasses."
- 3 Synonym of brace, a traditional unit of measure equivalent to a fathom (6 feet) or about 1.6 m, especially as the Spanish braza and Portuguese braça, also French brasse. historical, obsolete
- 4 a wind instrument that consists of a brass tube (usually of variable length) that is blown by means of a cup-shaped or funnel-shaped mouthpiece wordnet
- 5 A metallic alloy of copper and zinc used in many industrial and plumbing applications.; Fittings, utensils, or other items made of brass. countable, uncountable, usually
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 a memorial made of brass wordnet
- 7 A class of wind instruments, usually made of metal (such as brass), that use vibrations of the player's lips to produce sound; a band or the section of an orchestra that features such instruments. uncountable, usually
"A few measures later, the brass comes in strong!"
- 8 an ornament or utensil made of brass wordnet
- 9 Spent cartridge casings (usually made of brass): the part of the cartridge left over after bullets or shells have been fired. uncountable, usually
- 10 impudent aggressiveness wordnet
- 11 The color of brass. uncountable, usually
- 12 the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something wordnet
- 13 High-ranking officers: the brass hats. metonymically, uncountable, usually
"The brass are not going to like this."
- 14 the section of a band or orchestra that plays brass instruments wordnet
- 15 A brave or foolhardy attitude; impudence. informal, uncountable, usually
"You've got a lot of brass telling me to do that!"
- 16 an alloy of copper and zinc wordnet
- 17 Money. dated, slang, uncountable, usually
- 18 Inferior composition. uncountable, usually
Verb
- 1 To coat with brass. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Made of brass, of or pertaining to brass.
- 2 Brass monkey; cold. slang
- 3 Of the color of brass.
- 4 Impertinent, bold: brazen. informal
"At the Council board, I hope to charge him with that he cannot answer, and yet I know his face is brass enough."
- 5 Bad, annoying; as wordplay applied especially to brass instruments. slang
"Grindoff, the miller, 'and the leader of a very brass band of most unpopular performers, with a thorough base accompaniment of at least fifty vices,' was played by Miss Saunders."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Of inferior composition.
"As Honest Plush Brannon then, Mr. Beery is one of San Francisco's fancier con men and hence more brass than plush"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Gold is similar in color to brass."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "brass"?
Common synonyms include: brass section, adc, administration, aide, aide-de-camp, alloy.
How do you use "brass" in a sentence?
Gold is similar in color to brass.
How do you pronounce "brass"?
Pronounced /bɹɑːs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bras, bres, from Old English bræs (“brass, bronze”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps representing a backformation from Proto-Germanic *brasnaz (“brazen”), from or related to *brasō (“fire, pyre”). Compare Old Norse and Icelandic bras (“solder”), Icelandic brasa (“to harden in the fire”), Swedish brasa (“a small controlled fire”), Danish brase (“to fry”); French braser ("to solder"; > English braise) from the same Germanic root. Compare also Middle Dutch braspenninc ("a silver coin", literally, "silver-penny"; > Dutch braspenning), Old Frisian bress (“copper”), Middle Low German bras (“metal, ore”). In the military sense an ellipsis of the brass hats.
Etymology 2
By ellipsis from brass nail, in turn from "nail[ing]" (fig.) and "brass blonde" (see "brazen"); and also shortened from Cockney Rhyming slang brass flute for "prostitute".
Etymology 3
From Portuguese braça and Spanish braza, from Old Galician-Portuguese and Old Spanish braça, from Latin brachia, variant of bracchium (“arm, cubit”), from Ancient Greek βραχίων (brakhíōn, “upper arm”).