bring up

verb

brought up; bringing up; brings up

transitive verb

1

: to bring (a person) to maturity through nurturing care and education

2

: to cause to stop suddenly

3

a

: to bring to attention : introduce

b

computers : to cause (something, such as a file or picture) to appear on a computer screen

… you can make any picture that it displays into wallpaper by right-clicking with the arrow over the art to bring up a box with a "Set as wallpaper" choice.

—Barry Popik

4

: vomit

intransitive verb

: to stop suddenly

Synonyms

• breed
• foster
• nourish
• nurse
• raise
• rear

Examples of bring up in a Sentence

it takes an immense commitment and a lot of love to bring up a child properly

I hate to bring this up, but we're running short of money.

Recent Examples on the Web

While narrating the series, the 46-year-old actor—who started his career in Dancing with Wolves (1990), and more recently appeared in FX’s Reservation Dogs, and the Yellowstone prequel 1923—was especially taken by the memories these lands can bring up. —Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2024

The aerial blitz follows Harris’ campaign and party bring up Project 2025 multiple times each day, often unprompted. —Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2024

These events bring up important questions about the viability of new rental models and the role of venture capital. —Sergii Starostin, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024

At the start of Nexus, Harari brings up, as a parable, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s story of the sorcerer’s apprentice, about a well-meaning but hubristic novice who conjures with a magic beyond his ken. —Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

bring up

verb

1

: to bring to maturity through care and education

bring up a child

2

: to bring to attention : introduce

I hate to keep bringing this up

Medical Definition

bring up

transitive verb

(ˈ)briŋ-ˈəp 

: vomit