brag

American  

[brag] / bræg /

verb (used without object)

• brags,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bragged,
  past participle,  past
• bragging
  present participle

1. to use boastful language; boast.

   He bragged endlessly about his high score.

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verb (used with object)

• brags,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bragged,
  past participle,  past
• bragging
  present participle

1. to boast of.

   He bragged that he had won.

   Antonyms:

   depreciate

noun

1. a boast or vaunt.

2. a thing to boast of.

3. a boaster.

4. an old English card game similar to poker.

adjective

1. Archaic. unusually fine; first-rate.

brag British  

/ bræɡ /

verb

1. to speak of (one's own achievements, possessions, etc) arrogantly and boastfully

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noun

1. boastful talk or behaviour, or an instance of this

2. something boasted of

   his brag was his new car

3. a braggart; boaster

4. a card game: an old form of poker

Synonym Usage

See boast ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bragger
  noun
• bragging
  noun
• overbrag
  verb
• outbrag
  verb (used with object)
• bragless
  adjective
• unbragging
  adjective
• braggingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• bragging
  present
• bragged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• brag
  simple
• brags
  simple
• have bragged
  perfect
• has bragged
  perfect
• am bragging
  progressive
• are bragging
  progressive
• is bragging
  progressive
• have been bragging
  perfect progressive
• has been bragging
  perfect progressive

Past

• bragged
  simple
• had bragged
  perfect
• was bragging
  progressive
• were bragging
  progressive
• had been bragging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will brag
  simple
• will have bragged
  perfect
• will be bragging
  progressive
• will have been bragging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of brag

1350–1400; Middle English brag (noun) ostentation, arrogance, braggen (v.); of obscure origin

Explanation

When you're bragging, you're boasting. If you can't stop talking about your fancy new shoes, that's bragging. Ever notice how some people are full of themselves and constantly telling you about the great things they've done? Those folks like to brag. Bragging is a verbal kind of showing off. We all do it sometimes, and it's almost always annoying when other people do it. A specific boast can be called a brag. Athletes often brag before big games. But only the winners can brag after, because they backed up their words.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brag brags bragged bragging

"To the thief: we don't fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honourable way."

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

“I lived this when there wasn’t a way to brag about it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

When he comes upon Irontown, led by the highborn Lady Eboshi, and listens to its people brag about burning down the boar god’s forest, one might expect him to be angry.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Nick Florko doesn’t want to brag or anything, but more than a year ago he wrote an article that has come to seem prescient.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

Macon might not consider himself a fisherman, but he sure knew how to brag like one.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

He keeps going to the doctor, has bruises on both hands, and brags about passing dementia tests.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

“I have not missed an issue in 32 years,” he brags.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

Nobody brags about water stocks at cocktail parties — that’s how you know they might actually work.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025

But they’re the good guys, while dear Carrington, who brags about out-billing them on the regular, has held onto her bitterness.

From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2025

Lourdes brags to her friends, “This is my son. Look at him! He’s so big. It’s a miracle he’s here.”

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

The federal attorneys said the Tates had access to resources that could help fund an escape and they had bragged about having multiple passports.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

“Most of the people that travel the interstate have been in here. I mean, back in the heyday or whatever, we counted—one day, we had 86 people,” he bragged.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

This created an ideal environment for touts—one of whom bragged online about making a “good few quid” selling dodgy glasses, unconcerned about repercussions because buyers would “never see me again.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Johnson claimed that Kean had addressed the matter “appropriately” and bragged about texting the Republican to tell him, “We’re in your corner and we’re behind you 100%.”

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

“I will get A plus,” Alexander bragged back.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

They say they are mainly driven by the adrenaline rush, tradition and, of course, the bragging rights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Joining the fight for Premier League bragging rights are Manchester United, majority-owned by US family the Glazers and Chelsea, whose ownership group is headed by American Todd Boehly.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Davis’ lawyers will seek to show he is a fabricator — his bragging is all fiction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

If any move does materialise for Romero, it would be a sensational development and be another deal, following the one for Eze last season, which would present a chance for bragging rights for Arsenal fans.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The Em who never talked about the Banana Splits unless she was bragging about the cookies.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead

Related Words

• boast
• crow
• gloat