Brews vs. Bruise

Photo of author

Grammarist

Brews and bruise are two words that are pronounced in the same manner but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of brews and bruise, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

Brews is the third person present tense of the word brew, which means to concoct a beverage such as a beer or tea through fermentation or steeping with hot water. Brew may also mean to develop an unpleasant situation. Related words are brew, brewed, brewing. Brews is also the plural form of the noun brew, meaning a fermented or steeped beverage, or a strange mixture of people or events. The word brew is derived from the Old English word brēowan, meaning to brew.

A bruise is a blue, purple, green or yellow mark on the skin caused by ruptured blood vessels. Bruise is also used figuratively to mean an injury, either physical or psychological. Bruise is used as a noun or a verb, related words are bruises, bruised, brushing, bruiser. The word bruise is derived from the Old English word brysan, which means to pound or to crush.

Examples

Revelers at a fish fry following Mass that evening will be able to buy two brews Carey has bottled for the occasion: Church Burner IPA and Bootlegger Pale Ale. (The Carroll Daily Times Herald)

Trouble brews when a deeply held commitment to the underdog comes into conflict with the self-interested pocketbook and lifestyle concerns of the upper middle class. (The New York Times)

Marcus Marinelli, coach of Stipe Miocic and owner of Strong Style in Valley View, said his fighter’s left shin is bruised and sore, but he will be fine. (The News-Herald)

A dad was left with a bruised ego after trying to impress his kids with a back flip – and it going spectacularly wrong. (The Mirror)