bring up
Britishverb
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to care for and train (a child); rear
we had been brought up to go to church
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to raise (a subject) for discussion; mention
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to vomit (food)
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(foll by against) to cause (a person) to face or confront
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(foll by to) to cause (something) to be of a required standard
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Raise from childhood, rear. For example, Bringing up children is both difficult and rewarding . [Late 1400s]
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Introduce into discussion, mention, as in Let's not bring up the cost right now . [Second half of 1800s]
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Vomit, as in She still felt sick but couldn't bring up anything . This usage was first recorded in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719).
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.
“When you bring up children, so much of your energy is reacting to ‘Oh, he’s sick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Jamelle Bouie: I would bring up some other examples, too.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
If you ask a bull to list three reasons why stocks aren’t in a bubble right now, they’re bound to bring up the forward price-to-earnings ratio.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The first free-hit was heaved over cow corner for six, the second free-hit was swatted over long-on to bring up a 39-ball half-century and another maximum was slotted over the leg-side fence.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
When Seven arrived at Thorn's two days after their expedition, it had been a bit awkward, with nobody daring to bring up their fight.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
