bring
Americanverb (used with object)
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brings,
present (3rd person singular)
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brought,
past participle, past
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bringing
present participle
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to carry, convey, conduct, or cause (someone or something) to come with, to, or toward the speaker.
Bring the suitcase to my house.
He brought his brother to my office.
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to cause to come to or toward oneself; attract.
Her scream brought the police.
He brought honor to his family by his heroism.
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to cause to occur or exist.
The medication brought instant relief.
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to cause to come into a particular position, state, or effect.
to bring the car to a stop.
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to cause to appear or occur in the mind; evoke or recall.
The letter brought her memories of youth.
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to persuade, convince, compel, or induce.
She couldn't bring herself to sell the painting.
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to sell for; fetch.
These lamps will bring a good price.
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Law. to commence.
to bring an action for damages.
verb phrase
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bring off to accomplish, carry out, or achieve (something).
He brought off his speech with ease.
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bring forward
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to bring to view; show.
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to present for consideration; adduce.
to bring forward an opinion.
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bring down
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to injure, capture, or kill.
He brought down several ducks on his last hunting trip.
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to lessen; reduce.
I won't buy that lamp unless they bring down the price.
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Slang. to cause to be in low spirits; depress.
The bad news brought him down.
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bring up
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to care for during childhood; rear.
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to introduce or mention for attention, discussion, action, or consideration.
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to vomit.
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to stop or cause to stop quickly.
to bring up a car at the curb.
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Nautical. (of a vessel) to cause to halt, as by lowering an anchor or running aground; fetch up.
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bring forth
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to give birth to; deliver; bear.
to bring forth a son.
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to give rise to; introduce.
to bring forth a proposal for reducing costs.
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bring to
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to bring back to consciousness; revive.
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Nautical. to head (a vessel) close to or into the wind so as to halt.
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bring on
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to cause to happen or exist; bring about.
This incident will surely bring on a crisis.
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to introduce; cause to appear.
Bring on the clowns.
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bring in
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to yield, as profits or income.
My part-time job doesn't bring in much, but I enjoy it.
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to present officially; submit.
The jury brought in its verdict.
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to cause to operate or yield.
They brought in a gusher on his property.
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to present for consideration, approval, etc.; introduce.
She brought in six new members last month.
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bring out
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to expose; reveal.
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to make noticeable or conspicuous in a contrast.
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to publish, as a book or play.
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to introduce officially into society.
to bring out a debutante.
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bring about to accomplish; cause.
Land reform brought about a great change in the lives of the common people.
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bring around / round
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to convince of a belief or opinion; persuade.
I think we can bring him around to agreeing with the plan.
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to restore to consciousness, as after a faint.
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to bring as a visitor.
They brought around a new employee this morning.
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verb
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to carry, convey, or take (something or someone) to a designated place or person
bring that book to me
will you bring Jessica to Tom's party?
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to cause to happen or occur to (oneself or another)
to bring disrespect on oneself
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to cause to happen as a consequence
responsibility brings maturity
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to cause to come to mind
it brought back memories
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to cause to be in a certain state, position, etc
the punch brought him to his knees
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to force, persuade, or make (oneself)
I couldn't bring myself to do it
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to sell for; fetch
the painting brought 20 pounds
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law
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to institute (proceedings, charges, etc)
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to put (evidence, etc) before a tribunal
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to give birth to
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to convince of
his account brought home to us the gravity of the situation
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to place the blame on
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See bear 1
Synonym Usage
Bring, fetch, take imply conveying or conducting in relation to the place where the speaker is. To bring is simply to convey or conduct: Bring it to me. I'm permitted to bring my dog here with me. It is the opposite of take, which means to convey or conduct away from the place where the speaker is: Bring it back here. Take it back there. Fetch means to go, get, and bring back: Fetch me that bottle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bringsimple
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bringssimple
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have broughtperfect
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has broughtperfect
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am bringingprogressive
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are bringingprogressive
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is bringingprogressive
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have been bringingperfect progressive
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has been bringingperfect progressive
Past
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broughtsimple
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had broughtperfect
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was bringingprogressive
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were bringingprogressive
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had been bringingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bring
First recorded before 950; Middle English bringen, Old English bringan; cognate with Dutch brengen, German bringen, Gothic briggan
Explanation
To bring something is to carry or convey it somewhere. A trained dog will bring back a stick. The verb bring "carries" the idea of conveying something. You might ask a friend to bring you to school, and you might bring your friend cookies as a thank you. You could bring a legal suit against someone, or bring yourself to do something unpleasant. Good fortune might bring you happiness, while a hunter might bring down their prey with one shot. The number seven is supposed to bring good luck. The slang expression “bring it” means to do your best.
Vocabulary lists containing bring
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He says he is feeling very good and is especially grateful whenever his routine scans bring one particular word: stable.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
The students created a lab-built robot that they will bring to the competition to find out how it would deal with future moon missions.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
But even though I managed our household finances, I was told I first had to bring my wife into the process to share her questions and perspectives on such matters as risk tolerance and retirement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
"He made a mistake that he cannot bring himself to admit," Kasyanov, 68, said in Paris.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
If that drove them apart, then I thought maybe my excellent grades could bring them back together.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
But inherited real estate also brings property-tax obligations, maintenance and illiquidity that not every heir can manage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
There are few better when it comes to positional play, and he is one of the very best because of what he does himself and what he brings out in his team-mates.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
This week: Adam Auriemma, author of the Bloomberg Money newsletter, brings his personal finance expertise to the show.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
This focused exhibition brings together a selection of Jack Whitten’s work from the 1980s, a particularly energized period in his 60-year career when he experimented with form, material and meaning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
“That brings us to the purpose of this tea,” the Duchess said.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
The successful launch of the app has brought a new level of fame and acclaim to Alexandr Wang, the young tech executive handpicked by Mark Zuckerberg to oversee Meta’s AI efforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
This step is what brought us here, to Ponysaurus, filling out the online notice to the tune of a hissing compressor that kept clean air moving through the brewing system.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Eric Briones, director of the Paris School of Luxury, told AFP that only the fourth designer in Chanel's history had "brought joy" to the brand.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
And now we present the forecast for the Atlanta Braves, brought to you by Yogi Berra: It gets late early out there.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
As I reached to accept them, Trey brought up his other hand, capturing the hollow shafts of the feathers and my hand between both of his own.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
"I adapted myself for the city and started bringing out the kind of worst side of myself."
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
This includes internal controls on AI systems and bringing in outside analysts.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
We can honor the legacy of our national mammal by supporting the ranchers and markets bringing it back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Using these criteria, the team examined how common hypertension was, how often people had already been diagnosed, how many were receiving treatment, and whether treatment was successfully bringing blood pressure under control.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
I wanted to ask about the car again, but bringing up his uncle didn’t feel right just then.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
