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:
"Our work on extreme debris disks helps us bring together the big picture of what we currently understand."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
They were happy to bring two, he explained.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
As the storm moves further inland and loses contact with its warm water fuel source it will weaken but it is still expected to bring some potentially disruptive wet weather.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
She filed her request to dismiss the suit with prejudice — meaning she cannot bring the case before a court again — on Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I need to know exactly what you meant by: On All Hallows’ Eve, Deadwood will bring mayhem to Fernlight.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
One hauls refrigerated produce from California to the Midwest and brings back pet food, meat and auto parts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The new raise brings Forbion’s total assets under management to about 7.5 billion euros, or $8.5 billion, up 50% from two years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Still, Intel brings differentiated IP and advanced packaging capabilities, he noted.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Watch an unhinged new thriller: Verity, starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, brings Colleen Hoover’s most bonkers book to the big screen.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
The men say that if Commander Gorringe successfully brings the obelisk to New York & stands it up there, he will be paid seventy-five thousand dollars!
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
It brought a strategic dimension to third-person action games, and also won fans with its co-operative multiplayer modes - a feature that's returned for E-Day.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
No AL team had bunted this often since 2011, meaning the nerdiest organization in the sport has brought back a play that data wonks spent a quarter-century trying to eliminate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Regional leaders have set up the Pacific Resilience Facility with the hopes of raising $500 million, but has so far brought in commitments for less than half of that.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The researchers say the "alarming" fall in the chinstrap population is all about the food supply and rising ocean temperatures brought about by climate change.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The only certainty is that Joey is taken away from Lucban and brought to the Good Sisters Shepherd Convent orphanage in Quezon City, near the capital city of Manila.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
He is bringing in veteran entertainment executive Ynon Kreiz as his co-pilot and has mapped out a new leadership team.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Parkinson warned that simply bringing a budget with the spending cuts would lead to "a flood of amendments".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
“We have been talking all year about bringing the Punk Rock Bowling community together in L.A. since we didn’t have the festival this year,” Stern said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
"And in this case, there could have been a more meaningful reason behind it. By tying the homeland pottery into this enchainment, they're bringing those pots with them into the next generation."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
I ran out, thinking it might be a sled bringing my father home, but it went on to the village.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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.
