bring
Americanverb (used with object)
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brings,
present (3rd person singular)
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brought,
past participle, past
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bringing
present participle
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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:
Wednesday, the weather service issued a special alert about a strong thunderstorm tracking 11 miles south of San Clemente that could bring wind gusts up to 55 mph, warning people to seek shelter inside.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The Élysée Palace asked him instead to look at how to make France's streets safer and bring rioters to justice.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Amore, he said, is expected to bring in more than $100 million in sales within its first year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Beyond small floating reactors, government officials are crafting a regulatory landscape for a commercial nuclear fleet to bring goods across oceans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Oftentimes I would use the trip home to bring up things that were troubling me, since anything I asked at home was promptly answered by the aunts.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
An amber weather warning has come into force in parts of the UK as Storm Austen brings a swathe of powerful winds and heavy rain on Friday.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
“I think there’ll be this wonderful sort of bubbling underground movement that brings back the importance of things coming from the source and individuals themselves,” Ortega said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Lander arrived in the West Bank this past weekend to take part in an effort that brings volunteers to accompany Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Micron shares trade at about five times his estimates for forward earnings per share, but he doubts investors will value Micron more favorably for each dollar of profit it brings in.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
“So what brings you all the way down from Morningside Heights?” she tried, making a show of manually entering the card number into the register.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Storm Adam had already brought severe flooding to eastern Spain, where at least three people were killed.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Among those surveyed, 72% said they had brought in a new CEO in more than a quarter of their portfolio companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Where Waititi once brought an authentic ache to his bittersweet sagas of wayward souls, he’s resorted to sledgehammer mawkishness that’s meant to be offset by his droll humor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The loss of entry-level models such as the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze and Nissan Versa over the past decade “have eliminated several key products that brought first-time buyers into the market,” he noted.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Glenn brought a peck basket of them, from somewhere, and left it on Tansy’s desk.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Storm Austen is forecast to track towards the south coast of Ireland on Thursday evening and into Friday morning, bringing the risk of flooding and travel disruption.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The oil was sold to China, bringing in much-needed revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The Rams are bringing on veteran kicker Brandon McManus to replace Blake Grupe, who was injured in his first game with the team on Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The "shop-and-play destinations" merge essential buying with entertainment so that families do not feel a choice between bringing home the basics and treating themselves to a day out.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The king could see nothing ahead of him, and almost at once regretted not bringing fire with him into the cave.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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