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

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Etymology

Origin of brag

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

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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

They don’t brag about their money, don’t ask what we earn, don’t make us feel poor.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

"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

Hal is the kind of man who’d brag he came by his greatness through hard work and keeping his nose clean.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 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

What if Call’s mother should brag to my mother about how much money Call was bringing home these days?

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

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

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

He now brags that his daughter has a “high-powered direct report” assisting her at work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 9, 2025

I’m sure he can do push-ups, as he constantly brags.

From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2025

“Last year I helped raise enough money to send 120 mosquito nets to a village in Ghana,” she brags.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Howard Lutnick, the billionaire commerce secretary, bragged last year that if the Social Security Administration stopped sending checks to his mother-in-law she wouldn’t complain.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

During a hearing over that issue last month, prosecutors revealed jailhouse recordings in which Lavie bragged about exploiting Cloobeck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

He bragged about the stock market, the border, and his efforts to lower drug prices.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

“I know how they do it,” I bragged.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Whether for clout on Letterboxd or simply bragging rights among friends, how one sees a movie has become a key part of the overall experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 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

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

Mark Block’s friend wouldn’t stop bragging about the great lease deal he got for his 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Sometimes dogs clear across the kennel will hold their bones up in the air, look at each other, raise their hair, and start growling at each other, posturing and bragging about their bones.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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