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:
Researchers at Imperial College London say they have developed the first fully biodegradable balloon and hope to bring it to market within two years.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Last month, Burnham promised to give all mayors a share of income tax revenue, saying he wanted to "bring power home" to "every postcode".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Around 2017, family leaders created the Wolf Pen Branch entity to bring order to a family tree that has many branches and has grown to about 180 living descendants, including spouses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Represent some people on death row, bring some prison-condition cases, do something about all sorts of issues.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
‘I don’t know. I don’t think it matters. Arrows can’t bring it down.’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The event, which brings together the leading performers in esports ranging from computer games to chess and has been eagerly backed by MBS, is being held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Most students save more by staying on their parents’ health plan until 26, if eligible, or look into Medicaid or the ACA Marketplace, which brings your friend full circle.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
They warn that this brings risks around execution, competition, chip cycles and funding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Riccardo Calafiori is preferred at left-back by Arteta, because of the unpredictability he brings to the Arsenal attack.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Thus live, dear Maggie, until God brings me back to you; and then … we will resign ourselves to a passion sanctified by love and marriage … Let us live for each other.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Another possibility is that it arrived with a new resident who brought different pottery traditions to the settlement.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
LIV has brought in high-profile musical acts to perform for fans at its tournaments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Grammy-winning singer Jill Scott brought her “To Whom This May Concern” album — her first in more than a decade — to life at Inglewood’s YouTube Theater last week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
A third person whose injuries had yet to be ascertained was in the process of being brought to hospital.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Some of the prisoners had brought scissors from Vught: everywhere beneath the huge tent women were cutting one another’s hair.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Kotok started bringing a group of market wonks up to this tiny town in Maine some 25 years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
A judge later added hundreds of millions of dollars in punitive damages, bringing that judgment to roughly $1.4 billion.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
At least one major corporation sees value in bringing whimsy to the payment process too.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
With the ball initially passed to the right, midfielders like Tonali move towards this side, bringing the opponents marking them along.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
In this way, he could attend to his wicked task freely, anonymously, without bringing more scandal to the name of Ashton.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
