cepillar
verbCEFR B2
What does “cepillar” mean in English?
to brush, to smooth
to brush, to smooth (with a brush — hair, wood, clothing; reflexive: cepillarse)
Example sentences
El barnizador cepilló con cuidado la superficie de la madera hasta eliminar todas las imperfecciones antes de aplicar el acabado.
The varnisher carefully brushed the surface of the wood to remove all imperfections before applying the finish.
Cepilla el abrigo antes de salir: tiene pelusa por todas partes.
Brush your coat before you go out — it's got fluff all over it.
Se cepilló el cabello frente al espejo mientras esperaba que llegara su turno.
She brushed her hair in front of the mirror while waiting for her turn.
How to use it
Cepillar means 'to brush' — to use a cepillo (brush) on a surface, hair, teeth, or fabric. Common collocations: cepillar los dientes (brush teeth — though the more common phrase is lavarse los dientes), cepillar el cabello (brush hair), cepillar la madera (brush/plane the wood). In carpentry, cepillar also means to plane/smooth a surface. The reflexive cepillarse is used for personal hygiene routines: cepillarse el pelo. In colloquial Spanish, cepillarse a alguien means 'to bump off' or 'to beat someone comprehensively' — flag as informal.
Common mistake
Cepillar los dientes and lavarse los dientes both mean 'to brush one's teeth', but lavarse los dientes is the overwhelmingly more common phrase in everyday speech. Cepillar los dientes is more formal or instructional. Also: cepillar la madera (to plane wood) is the same verb — context disambiguates. Don't confuse cepillo (brush) with escoba (broom/sweep brush) or brocha (paintbrush, large flat brush).