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:
There is some welcome rain forecast this week, though it's not likely to be significant or bring any change to the dry conditions.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
On Saturday, De la Espriella said he had a "friendly" 10-minute phone call with Trump, and sought a temporary suspension of the tariffs imposed by the United States, to bring relief during its reconstruction phase.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Flávio’s campaign has used artificial intelligence to bring a giant avatar of Jair Bolsonaro to life at campaign events, drawing legal challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Giardiniera is my first choice here — jars of it seem to appear at every Chicago market — but think of the filling as a template for whatever good, spicy pickled thing you bring home.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
After what had happened with Russell, his parents threatening to charge me, even a false accusation was too much to bring to our home.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
That brings us on to another theme - the national hero.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Necessary to that approach, which brings to mind the watchful grace of last year’s stellar memory drama “Familiar Touch,” is the wonderful Poulter’s lived-in presence as someone trying to not even have a presence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Focusing on beverages has allowed retailers to recapture audiences with an affordable luxury that’s cheaper than buying a full meal, is pretty enough to post, and brings in more consumers during off-peak hours.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
For Sally Higgins, “just reading Kimberly’s story brings back the ickiness in my stomach.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“And how did…?” In slow motion, she brings it toward my face as she makes a whistling noise like an incoming missile.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
The riverside Emboo Camp in Maasai Mara National Reserve brought the trend to Kenya in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
"The most important thing is that it's brought a completely different and younger demographic into the sport," says Glamorgan chair Mark Rhydderch-Roberts.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Misfortune that brought back bad memories of last season’s mystery illness that caused Betts to lose nearly 20 pounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The superhero film fronted by Tom Holland and real-life wife Zendaya has brought in more than $2 billion globally since its July 31 release, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
A breeze lifted his hair, but brought no answer.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Japan also has experience in bringing back samples from space, including JAXA's unmanned Hayabusa-2 which returned 5.4 grams of rock and dust collected from an asteroid several hundred million kilometres from Earth in 2020.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
The change in weather pattern that is bringing this cooler air will also result in an increased chance of rain, including in areas currently in drought.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The hybrid is just $1,000 more; but it is more capable, more that money is like a time machine, bringing the Maverick into.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
“I love that it’s bringing attention to something that I care about very deeply,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
But the shadows moved closer, bringing with them their freezing cold and howling sound.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
