bring
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
Aoísha O'Neill, 18, who is Pearse's sister said establishing a dedicated Minister for Women's Safety and Health would bring together women's issues "so they can be tackled in a more efficient way".
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The business of explosives is booming as Western governments unleash spending to bring production home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sometimes people forget that we are human beings practicing this discipline, and we bring all our concerns for our community into this space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
But the US leader expressed hope that renewed diplomacy could bring an end to the war that began in late February with a wave of US-Israeli strikes, rattling both the region and the global economy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Joey Guerrero doesn’t just bring a small bag of belongings to Carville—she also brings unprecedented celebrity.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
That brings us back to the stipulations the federal agencies filed in the UC researchers’ lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Kawakami-Shotton also brings her visitors to The Rabbit Hole Tea Room in the city.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Recognition of their "outstanding universal value" brings international renown and commits authorities to work toward their preservation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
That includes demanding a $454 billion increase in the 2027 Pentagon budget, which brings the total request to nearly $1.5 trillion — a 44% increase from the previous year.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
After everyone’s finished, Celia brings a plate of what she calls sopapillas, which are like little donuts with honey.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
The lawsuit was brought by a group of faculty members and researchers at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, who were among those to lose research grants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
There has been turnover at Arsenal this summer, with club stalwarts Beth Mead and Katie McCabe leaving for title rivals Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, and seven new signings already brought in.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The agency repeated the stipulation in a lawsuit brought this year by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers over 11 canceled grants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
French lawyer Vincent Brengarth, who represents NGOs alleging war crimes in Sudan, said Chad's withdrawal undermined the prospects of those responsible being brought to justice.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
A breeze lifted his hair, but brought no answer.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Last week, the company completed a sale-leaseback deal for 26 stores, bringing in around $77 million in proceeds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Dombrowski, who has spent nearly 50 years in MLB front offices, says that “in the past, you wouldn’t even think about bringing in your closer in that situation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
In his first major interview since becoming prime minister, Burnham said he would not want to leave office without bringing in "substantial change" to the social care system.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
There were also reports of parents bringing their petitions to Union Army generals stationed in Maryland.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
It takes us ten minutes, but once we have it hung, it sprays droplets of colored light everywhere, bringing life to the room.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
