bring on
Britishverb
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to induce or cause
these pills will bring on labour
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slang to cause sexual excitement in; stimulate
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Cause to happen, produce, as in His cold brought on an asthma attack . This usage was first recorded in John Milton's Samson Agonistes (1671): “These evils . . . I myself have brought them on.” Also see bring about .
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Cause to appear or bring into action, as in Bring on the jugglers . [Mid-1800s]
Usage
The second sense of this word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary . However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use
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.
What they got was a nerve-shredding night, a 90-minute rollercoaster ride, an evening to bring on a migraine.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
Lululemon’s board needs to bring on people who will shake up the status quo, rather than rotating in executives from legacy consumer brands like Procter and Gamble, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Amazon is working on a project with X-Energy in Washington state, and has said it is considering joining with X-Energy to bring on as much as 5 gigawatts worth of its reactors by 2039.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
He said he felt the “weight that this is going to bring on our family.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
Mutti and I were worried that it might bring on one of his asthma attacks, but thankfully it did not.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
