1. A stiff hair
   "The boar's bristles were used to make brushes"
    
2. A stiff fibre (coarse hair or filament); natural or synthetic
   "The boar's bristles were used to make paintbrushes"

1. Have or be thickly covered with or as if with bristles
   "bristling leaves"
    
2. Rise up as in fear
   "The dog's fur bristled";
   - uprise [archaic, literary], stand up
    
3. React in an offended or angry manner
   "He bristled at her suggestion that he should teach her how to use the program"
    
4. Be in a state of movement or action
   "The garden bristled with toddlers";
   - abound, burst

Derived forms: bristling, bristles, bristled

Type of: feature, fiber [US], fibre [Brit, Cdn], hair, have, react, rear, reply, respond, rise up

Part of: brush

Encyclopedia: Bristle