bring
Americanverb (used with object)
-
brings,
present (3rd person singular)
-
brought,
past participle, past
-
bringing
present participle
-
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 phrase
-
bring off to accomplish, carry out, or achieve (something).
He brought off his speech with ease.
-
bring forward
-
to bring to view; show.
-
to present for consideration; adduce.
to bring forward an opinion.
-
-
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 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.
-
-
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 to
-
to bring back to consciousness; revive.
-
Nautical. to head (a vessel) close to or into the wind so as to halt.
-
-
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 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 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 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.
-
verb
-
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?
-
to cause to happen or occur to (oneself or another)
to bring disrespect on oneself
-
to cause to happen as a consequence
responsibility brings maturity
-
to cause to come to mind
it brought back memories
-
to cause to be in a certain state, position, etc
the punch brought him to his knees
-
to force, persuade, or make (oneself)
I couldn't bring myself to do it
-
to sell for; fetch
the painting brought 20 pounds
-
law
-
to institute (proceedings, charges, etc)
-
to put (evidence, etc) before a tribunal
-
-
to give birth to
-
-
to convince of
his account brought home to us the gravity of the situation
-
to place the blame on
-
-
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
-
bringsimple
-
bringssimple
-
have broughtperfect
-
has broughtperfect
-
am bringingprogressive
-
are bringingprogressive
-
is bringingprogressive
-
have been bringingperfect progressive
-
has been bringingperfect progressive
Past
-
broughtsimple
-
had broughtperfect
-
was bringingprogressive
-
were bringingprogressive
-
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:
Even sitting across from a colleague for a bit will bring you closer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Nims's family say they are deeply grateful to the "extraordinary team led by our brother, Mingma G, who worked in incredibly challenging conditions to bring Nimsdai home".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
This would effectively undo the 2025 rate cuts pushed by former Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, and would bring the central bank’s benchmark interest rate to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Storm surf and runoff has caused significant beach erosion and the festival can no longer be safely held as planned. Plans are already underway to bring the festival back to Santa Monica in 2027.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
To bring them into balance, Dr. Harlow prescribes two powerful drugs—an "emetic" to make Phineas throw up and a "purgative," a powerful laxative, to evacuate his bowels.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
“I think what investors care most about is their ability to generate leading intelligence and then attract talent that brings forth leading intelligence,” Lee said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
But the insistence that they do brings Nixon into the room with Saddam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The morning cycle brings humidity-lowering dry air from the deserts into the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Liam is equally complimentary about his older partner, saying he brings a lot of experience to the court.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Alas, we shall never know, and it is too late to go back and change things now, but pondering such deep and unanswerable questions is the job of philosophers—which brings us back to Mr. Hobbes.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
She had no interest in leaving, but brought the offer to Jeff Bezos and asked if he could match it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
His activists tried to block coaches that had come to collect migrants, who had arrived illegally, brought ashore after making the long journey from Normany in France.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
While Mays brought Tresnjak to “Amadeus,” this time the director asked the actor to join “The Visit.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
A few of the other guests also brought sides and appetizers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
I still haven’t brought up Sunridge, and now I’ve run out of time to talk to him.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The people cautioned that a final decision on bringing charges hasn’t yet been made.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
After twice voting in favour of the bill, MPs have rejected proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, bringing the latest effort to change the law to an end.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Recently, a friend had a barbeque and asked everyone to pay her $10, in lieu of bringing a dish.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Waves of European missionaries sailed through the South Pacific in the 19th century, bringing evangelical Christian teachings that were adopted with enthusiasm.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
One evening Mutti came out to join me, bringing me my coat.
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.
