boast

¹ American  

[bohst] / boʊst /

verb (used without object)

1. to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, especially about oneself.

2. to speak with pride (often followed byof ).

   He boasted of his family's wealth.

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verb (used with object)

1. to speak of with excessive pride or vanity.

   He boasts himself a genius.

2. to be proud in the possession of.

   The town boasts a new school.

noun

• boasts
  plural

1. a thing boasted of; a cause for pride.

   Talent is his boast. It is her boast that she has never betrayed a friend.

2. exaggerated or objectionable speech; bragging.

   empty boasts and threats.

boast ² American  

[bohst] / boʊst /

verb (used with object)

Masonry.

1. to dress or shape (stone) roughly.

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boast ¹ British  

/ bəʊst /

verb

1. (intr; sometimes foll by of or about) to speak in exaggerated or excessively proud terms of one's possessions, skills, or superior qualities; brag

2. (tr) to possess (something to be proud of)

   the city boasts a fine cathedral

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noun

1. a bragging statement

2. a possession, attribute, attainment, etc, that is or may be bragged about

boast ² British  

/ bəʊst /

noun

1. a stroke in which the ball is hit on to one of the side walls before hitting the front wall

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verb

1. to hit (the ball) in this way or make such a stroke

boast ³ British  

/ bəʊst /

verb

1. (tr) to shape or dress (stone) roughly with a broad chisel

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Usage

What does boast mean? To boast is to brag, especially in a way that exaggerates or shows excessive pride about the boaster’s skills, possessions, or accomplishments. The word boast can also be used as a noun to refer to such a claim, as in He made outrageous boasts about how he once rode a shark. People most often boast about themselves—their skills, their possessions, or the things that they have accomplished—but a person can also boast about someone else. A parent might boast about their child’s accomplishments, for example. Someone who is known for boasting or who boasts excessively can be described as boastful. The word boast can also mean to possess something in a way that’s considered worthy of pride, as in The school boasts a new library and gym. A product may be said to boast a certain feature, as in The new model boasts a 10-inch display. This sense of the word does not imply exaggeration or excessive pride like the primary sense of the word often does. Example: He boasts about how good he is, but I’ve never actually seen him perform.

Synonym Usage

Boast, brag imply vocal self-praise or claims to superiority over others. Boast usually refers to a particular ability, possession, etc., that may be one of such kind as to justify a good deal of pride: He boasts of his ability as a singer. Brag, a more colloquial term, usually suggests a more ostentatious and exaggerated boasting but less well-founded: He brags loudly of his marksmanship.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• boaster
  noun
• boasting
  noun
• boasted
  adjective
• boastless
  adjective
• boastingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• boasts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of boast¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bost (noun), bosten (verb), of uncertain origin

Origin of boast²

First recorded in 1815–25; of uncertain origin

Explanation

When you boast you are bragging about yourself and your accomplishments (or maybe those of your family), often to the boredom and annoyance of your audience. Used as either a noun or a verb, boast usually suggests exaggeration, vanity, or pride. Along those lines, English poet Sir Thomas Overbury, who died in 1613, once said, "The man who has nothing to boast of but his illustrious ancestry is like the potato — the best part underground." However, the word can also be used in a positive way: a town can boast a new library, or a school can boast a high graduation rate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boast boasts

Total domination attacked this fragile construction at its root, making human beings superfluous and sweeping them into an ideological process whose terrible boast was, in her phrase, “everything is possible.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The Dodgers boast baseball’s best record, with seven key players expected to return from significant injuries over the next two months.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

"The idea that he would then boast about having won the World Cup if they win does not sit well with me."

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

The 15 small-cap stocks listed below are those that survived this winnowing process and boast the highest dividend yields.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Neither could boast more than a single short garment, held at the waist by a rag of a sash.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

The hashtag #finelinetattoo has racked up 10.3m searches on Instagram, while #dotworktattoo boasts 4.8m searches.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

In 2010, they reportedly spent $28 million to extensively renovate the estate, which boasts 310 feet of private shoreline and a private boathouse.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

Though he boasts a long resume in California electoral politics, Becerra went decades without a challenging election fight — until this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

She boasts that in the state Assembly she “wrote a bill to create publicly-owned grocery stores.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

A swollen-headed raider, full of boasts and stupid jokes and mead.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Related Words

• claim
• exhibit
• own
• possess