"bristle" in the noun sense
1. bristle
a stiff fiber (coarse hair or filament natural or synthetic
2. bristle
a stiff hair
"bristle" in the verb sense
1. abound, burst, bristle
be in a state of movement or action
"The room abounded with screaming children"
"The garden bristled with toddlers"
2. bristle, uprise, stand up
rise up as in fear
"The dog's fur bristled"
"It was a sight to make one's hair uprise!"
3. bristle
have or be thickly covered with or as if with bristles
"bristling leaves"
4. bristle
react in an offended or angry manner
"He bristled at her suggestion that he should teach her how to use the program"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License