bring

verb

ˈbriŋ 

brought ˈbrȯt  ; bringing ˈbriŋ-iŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to convey, lead, carry, or cause to come along with one toward the place from which the action is being regarded

brought a bottle of wine to the party

b

: to cause to be, act, or move in a special way: such as

(1)

: attract

her screams brought the neighbors

(2)

: persuade, induce

try to bring them to his way of thinking

(3)

: force, compel

was brought before a judge

(4)

: to cause to come into a particular state or condition

bring water to a boil

c

dialect : escort, accompany

May I bring you home?

d

: to bear as an attribute or characteristic

brings years of experience to the position

2

: to cause to exist or occur: such as

a

: to be the occasion of

winter brings snow

b

: to result in

the drug brought immediate relief

brought tears to her eyes

c

: institute

bring legal action

d

: adduce

bring an argument

3

: prefer

whether to bring legal charges against him

4

: to procure in exchange : sell for

should bring a high price at auction

intransitive verb

chiefly Midland US : yield, produce

bringer noun

Phrases

bring forth

1

: bear

brought forth fruit

2

: to give birth to : produce

3

: adduce

bring forth persuasive arguments

bring forward

1

: to produce to view : introduce

brought new evidence forward

2

: to carry (a total) forward

bring home

: to make unmistakably clear

brought home the importance of exercise

bring to account

1

: to bring to book

must be brought to account for her mistakes

2

: reprimand

bring to bear

: to use with effect

bring pressure to bear

bring to book

: to compel to give an account

bring to light

: disclose, reveal

bring new facts to light

bring to mind

: recall

These events bring to mind another time in history.

bring to terms

: to compel to agree, assent, or submit

bring up the rear

: to come last or behind

Synonyms

• create
• cause
• generate
• do
• produce
• prompt

Examples of bring in a Sentence

“Should I send you a check?” “Why not just bring me the money when you come?”

Have you brought the money with you from the bank?

She brought her boyfriend home to meet her parents.

Love of adventure brought her here before taking her to many other places.

This radio station brings you all the news as it happens.

Can anything bring peace to this troubled region?

Having a baby has brought great happiness into her life.

Recent Examples on the Web

Officers brought the 12-year-old to the Copperas Cove Police Department and alerted Child Protective Services (CPS), according to the complaint. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025

Flick will not back down from his high-line philosophy as squeezing up the pitch allows Barcelona to dominate territory and bring their technically gifted players closer to goal. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

If the thought of hosting a monster bash feels overwhelming, keep it lowkey by inviting just a few friends over for a Halloween dinner, and ask everyone to bring a little something to share. —Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2025

When DynamoDB came back online, EC2 tried to bring all of its servers back online at once and couldn’t keep up. —Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English bringan; akin to Old High German bringan to bring, Welsh hebrwng to accompany

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing bring

• bring a bottle
• bring about
• bring a halt to
• bring-and-buy sale
• bring an end to (something)
• bring around
• bring a smile to one's lips
• bring a tear to one's eye
• bring a tear to someone's eye
• bring back
• bring back to life
• bring before
• bring/call/put into play
• bring charges
• bring charges against
• bring down
• bring down the curtain on
• bring down the house
• bring home the bacon
• bring in
• bring into disrepute
• bring off
• bring on
• bring oneself
• bring out
• bring out the best in
• bring out the worst in
• bring/put a stop to
• bring (someone) to his/her knees
• bring (something) alive
• bring (something) to an end
• bring (something) to a stop
• bring (something) to life
• bring (something) to someone's notice
• bring tears to one's eyes
• bring the curtain down on
• bring the house down
• bring the matter to someone's attention
• bring to
• bring to a conclusion
• bring to conclusion
• bring together
• bring to someone's attention
• bring to trial
• bring up
• bring up short
• bring your own bottle
• file/bring (a) suit
• take/knock/bring someone down a peg
• throw/bring into question

Rhymes for bring

• bing
• ching
• cling
• ding
• fling
• ging
• hing
• jing
• kling
• ling
• ming
• qing

Kids Definition

bring

verb

ˈbriŋ 

brought ˈbrȯt  ; bringing ˈbriŋ-iŋ 

1

: to cause to come with oneself by carrying or leading especially to the place from which the action is viewed

bring a lunch

2

: to cause to reach a certain state or take a certain action

bring water to a boil

couldn't bring myself to say it

3

: to cause to arrive or exist

winter will bring snow

bring legal action

4

: to sell for

will bring a good price

bringer noun

Legal Definition

bring

transitive verb

ˈbriŋ 

brought ˈbrȯt  ; bringing ˈbriŋ-iŋ 

: to begin or commence (a legal proceeding) through proper legal procedure: as

a

: to put (as a lawsuit) before a court

b

: to formally assert (as a charge or indictment)

brought charges against him