boast

noun

\ ˈbōst

Definition of boast

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a statement expressing excessive pride in oneself : the act or an instance of boasting (see boast entry 2) : brag It may sound like a boast, but I truly am very wealthy.

2 : a cause for pride

boast

verb (1)

boasted; boasting; boasts

Definition of boast (Entry 2 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 : to praise oneself extravagantly in speech : speak of oneself with excessive pride boasting about her accomplishments

2 archaic : glory, exult

transitive verb

1 : to speak of or assert with excessive pride He liked to boast that he was the richest man in town.

2a : to possess and often call attention to (something that is a source of pride) boasts a new stadium

b : have, contain a room boasting no more than a desk and a chair

boast

verb (2)

boasted; boasting; boasts

Definition of boast (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

: to shape (stone) roughly in sculpture and stonecutting as a preliminary to finer work

Other Words from boast Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about boast

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Other Words from boast

Noun

boastful \ ˈbōst-fəl

\ adjective

boastfully \ ˈbōst-fə-lē

\ adverb

boastfulness noun

Verb (1)

boaster noun

Choose the Right Synonym for boast

Verb (1)

boast, brag, vaunt, crow mean to express pride in oneself or one's accomplishments. boast often suggests ostentation and exaggeration boasts of every trivial success , but it may imply a claiming with proper and justifiable pride. the town boasts one of the best museums in the area brag suggests crudity and artlessness in glorifying oneself. bragging of their exploits vaunt usually connotes more pomp and bombast than boast and less crudity or naïveté than brag. vaunted his country's military might crow usually implies exultant boasting or bragging. crowed after winning the championship

Examples of boast in a Sentence

Noun

When he says he's the richest man in town, he's not just making an idle boast. We were offended by his boast that he would easily beat us. The museum's proudest boast is its collection of rare gems.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

O’Rourke was making no such boasts about any post-debate enthusiasm. — Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, "Clash of the Texans: Julián Castro's breakout leaves Beto O'Rourke to do some homework," 30 June 2019 Spanning 17 acres, the historic property boasts gardens, orchards, streams and an 82-foot-long pool. — Madison Roberts, PEOPLE.com, "All About the Château Where Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner Are Kicking Off Their Wedding Weekend," 27 June 2019 Drunken shouts, parochial boasts, empty words cannot conceal the treachery. — Amos Oz, Harper's magazine, "Setting the World to Rights," 10 Apr. 2019 Mr Miller illuminates the darkness behind his boasts. — The Economist, "A new book explores the myths and reality of Rodrigo Duterte’s life," 21 June 2018 Ironically, in Singapore, Chu’s all-Asian boast is nothing more than a perpetuation of the existing Chinese dominance in mainstream media and pop culture. — Kirsten Han, Vox, "Crazy Rich Asians is a win for Asian Americans. But it gets Singapore wrong.," 17 Aug. 2018 Credit on this point goes to Donald Trump, who mocked Ms. Warren’s genetic boast and no doubt prompted her to get the truth out before the 2020 campaign begins. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "We’re All Native Americans Now," 15 Oct. 2018 The Cubs backed up Arrieta’s boast and went on to win the division. — Paul Sullivan, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs hoping clubhouse chemistry stays same despite changes," 18 Mar. 2018 His boasts about his residence, bank account and intelligence sound like someone who wants membership in a club that has repeatedly rejected him. — Eugene Scott, Washington Post, "Trump’s dislike of — and desire to be a part of — the ‘elite’," 21 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Mr Trump could boast of a bigger, better deal—most importantly, one struck by him rather than Mr Obama. — The Economist, "Breaking the nuclear deal ratchets up the conflict between Iran and America," 28 June 2019 Today, Houston boasts of a very vibrant urban environment, which is attracting both local residents and newcomers alike. — Michelle Sandlin, Houston Chronicle, "On the Move: Houston’s urban environment attracts newcomers," 23 June 2019 The selection is wide and deeply varied — the store boasts of having a collection of nearly a million books, though perhaps that claim could stand to be fact-checked. — Julia Wick, latimes.com, "Essential California Week in Review: A mysterious $1.5 billion in Cal State’s reserves," 22 June 2019 The New Jersey couple at the helm of Rocky Ridge Russells kennel could proudly boast of dozens of American Kennel Club winners and a 2009 Westminster Kennel Club best in breed champion. — Aaron Randle, New York Times, "188 Sickly Dogs Hoarded by a One-Time Top Breeder at Westminster," 12 June 2019 Source: Stanford With elite colleges boasting of ever lower admission rates, Stanford is a Holy Grail. — Jennifer Levitz, WSJ, "A Stanford Coach Ensnared by the College-Admissions Scandal: ‘The Biggest Mistake of My Life’," 12 June 2019 Until April, Microsoft boasted of having the largest collection of faces that anyone could use to train facial-recognition algorithms. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, "Microsoft Removes Face Recognition Photos Amid Privacy Controversy," 7 June 2019 Today, Sony boasts of more than 700,000 PlayStation Now subscribers paying $100 a year for full access to a library of more than 750 streaming games. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Despite “revolutionary” promises, Stadia’s biz model is pure establishment," 6 June 2019 Fewer still could boast of contributors of the caliber of those who wrote for the journal, especially in its early days, and the quality and durability of their contributions. — The New York Review of Books, "Mitchell Abidor," 17 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.