bring

[ bring ]

/ brɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bring ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), brought, bring·ing.

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.

to cause to come to or toward oneself; attract: Her scream brought the police. He brought honor to his family by his heroism.

to cause to occur or exist: The medication brought instant relief.

to cause to come into a particular position, state, or effect: to bring the car to a stop.

to cause to appear or occur in the mind; evoke or recall: The letter brought her memories of youth.

to persuade, convince, compel, or induce: She couldn't bring herself to sell the painting.

to sell for; fetch: These lamps will bring a good price.

Law. to commence: to bring an action for damages.

Verb Phrases

bring about, to accomplish; cause: Land reform brought about a great change in the lives of the common people.

bring around/round,

to convince of a belief or opinion; persuade: I think we can bring him around to agreeing with the plan.
to restore to consciousness, as after a faint.
to bring as a visitor: They brought around a new employee this morning.

bring down,

to injure, capture, or kill: He brought down several ducks on his last hunting trip.
to lessen; reduce: I won't buy that lamp unless they bring down the price.
Slang. to cause to be in low spirits; depress: The bad news brought him down.

bring forth,

to give birth to; deliver; bear: to bring forth a son.
to give rise to; introduce: to bring forth a proposal for reducing costs.

bring forward,

to bring to view; show.
to present for consideration; adduce: to bring forward an opinion.

bring in,

to yield, as profits or income: My part-time job doesn't bring in much, but I enjoy it.
to present officially; submit: The jury brought in its verdict.
to cause to operate or yield: They brought in a gusher on his property.
to present for consideration, approval, etc.; introduce: She brought in six new members last month.

bring off, to accomplish, carry out, or achieve (something): He brought off his speech with ease.

bring on,

to cause to happen or exist; bring about: This incident will surely bring on a crisis.
to introduce; cause to appear: Bring on the clowns.

bring out,

to expose; reveal.
to make noticeable or conspicuous in a contrast.
to publish, as a book or play.
to introduce officially into society: to bring out a debutante.

bring to,

to bring back to consciousness; revive.
Nautical. to head (a vessel) close to or into the wind so as to halt.

bring up,

to care for during childhood; rear.
to introduce or mention for attention, discussion, action, or consideration.
to vomit.
to stop or cause to stop quickly: to bring up a car at the curb.
Nautical. (of a vessel) to cause to halt, as by lowering an anchor or running aground; fetch up.

Nearby words

brindley, brine, brine shrimp, brinell hardness number, brinelling, bring, bring about, bring around, bring down, bring down the curtain, bring down the house

Origin of bring

before 950; Middle English bringen, Old English bringan; cognate with Dutch brengen, German bringen, Gothic briggan

SYNONYMS FOR bring

1 transport; lead, guide.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bring ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsbring·er, nounout·bring, verb (used with object), out·brought, out·bring·ing.

Can be confusedbring fetch¹ take (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonym study

1. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bring down (1 of 2)

bring down

verb (tr, adverb)

to cause to fallthe fighter aircraft brought the enemy down; the ministers agreed to bring down the price of oil

(usually passive) slang to cause to be elated and then suddenly depressed, as from using drugs

British Dictionary definitions for bring down (2 of 2)

bring

/ (brɪŋ) /

verb brings, bringing or brought (tr)

to carry, convey, or take (something or someone) to a designated place or personbring that book to me; will you bring Jessica to Tom's party?

to cause to happen or occur to (oneself or another)to bring disrespect on oneself

to cause to happen as a consequenceresponsibility brings maturity

to cause to come to mindit brought back memories

to cause to be in a certain state, position, etcthe punch brought him to his knees

to force, persuade, or make (oneself)I couldn't bring myself to do it

to sell for; fetchthe painting brought 20 pounds

law

to institute (proceedings, charges, etc)
to put (evidence, etc) before a tribunal

bring forth to give birth to

bring home to

to convince ofhis account brought home to us the gravity of the situation
to place the blame on

bring to bear See bear 1 (def. 17)

Derived Formsbringer, noun

Word Origin for bring

Old English bringan; related to Gothic briggan, Old High German bringan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bring down

bring

Old English bringan "to bring, bring forth, produce, present, offer" (past tense brohte, past participle broht), from Proto-Germanic *brenganan (cf. Old Frisian brenga, Middle Dutch brenghen, Old High German bringan, Gothic briggan); no exact cognates outside Germanic, but it appears to be from PIE root *bhrengk-, compound based on root *bher- (1) "to carry" (cf. Latin ferre; see infer).

The tendency to conjugate this as a strong verb on the model of sing, drink, etc., is ancient: Old English also had a rare strong past participle form, brungen, corresponding to modern colloquial brung. To bring down the house figuratively (1754) is to elicit applause so thunderous it collapses the roof.

Idioms and Phrases with bring down

bring down

Cause to fall, collapse, or die. For example, The pilot won a medal for bringing down enemy aircraft, or The bill's defeat was sure to bring down the party. [c. 1300]

Cause a punishment or judgment, as in The bomb threats brought down the public's wrath on the terrorists [Mid-1600s]

Reduce, lower, as in I won't buy it till they bring down the price, or He refused to bring himself down to their level. This usage may be literal, as in the first example, or figurative, as in the second. [First half of 1500s]

bring

verb (used with object), brought, bring·ing.

Verb Phrases

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Origin of bring

Synonym study

British Dictionary definitions for bring down (1 of 2)

bring down

verb (tr, adverb)

British Dictionary definitions for bring down (2 of 2)

bring

verb brings, bringing or brought (tr)

Word Origin for bring

Word Origin and History for bring down

bring

Idioms and Phrases with bring down

bring down