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:
Despite the current insatiable demand, analysts warn that memory makers’ super profits will eventually bring on new supply and a brutal downturn to the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Moreover, nighttime did not bring the usual cooldown, prompting forecasters to warn that the lack of overnight recovery could cause physical stress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Jonathan Blythe, 41, has Asperger's Syndrome and dreads the autumn arriving, as he know it will bring a nightly din with it.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
It can also bring a measure of clarity.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
“No. If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. I don’t want you to clean up my room or bring me coffee. They have staff here to do that.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
High pressure brings more settled weather with lighter winds.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Visiting it brings back childhood memories of watching a launch in awe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The premise of a higher neutral rate is that it brings savings and investment back into balance by encouraging saving and deterring investment at the margin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
It also said that brings his net holdings in the sector to as much as $81.6 million, so his oil and gas wealth has nearly doubled since the end of 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
A minute later, he brings out three pages printed on both sides.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
The next year, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, a former quarterback, brought him in to patch up the Minnesota defense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Since then, both Edinburgh and Glasgow City Councils have brought in firework control zones for parts of each city, after constant problems with anti-social behaviour around Bonfire Night.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
It drew the spotlight in 2024, when Anant's lavish pre-wedding celebrations there brought Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump as guests, with Rihanna performing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Sir Patrick brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with extraordinary grace, intelligence and humanity, defining the character for generations of fans, from ‘X-Men’ to ‘Logan’ to ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’” Marvel Studios said in statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Plunging one hand into her pack, she brought out three thin, reddish-brown cakes.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Skydance added about $57 billion of acquisition-related debt, bringing total debt to about $87.5 billion, according to a Fitch note on Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
When asked whether he was bringing street art inside for the Deitch show, McGee pushed back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
That’s expected to be a major boon to Lilly’s business, potentially bringing in $4 billion by the end of the year, according to Jefferies analyst Akash Tewari in a note to investors earlier this week.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Cash flow represents the money a company retains after paying for operations and investments, meaning Alphabet is now spending more money than it is bringing in.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Pilot Bruce Judson circled three times, bringing them down to only five hundred feet above the crater.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
